New Zealand: Feedback sought on Marlborough Sounds blue cod fishery

Fisheries New Zealand is seeking feedback on a proposal aimed at reducing fishing pressure on blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds, as well as a range of other potential measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the popular fishery. "We’re considering a range of options and management tools to address overfishing and increase abundance of blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds," says Emma Taylor, director fisheries management. "The area sees very high levels of fishing effort, particularly in the holiday period, which, when combined with other factors such as sedimentation and marine heatwaves, is affecting the health of the fishery. This is despite catch limit reductions and other changes over the past decade." Following a 2021 potting survey which indicated that the amount of fishing in the area was significantly higher than can be sustainably supported by the fishery, the commercial catch limit (TACC) for Marlborough Sounds blue cod was reduced. An advisory group of tangata ...