b'Recreational fishing is important to many Kiwis who spend almost a billion dollars a year on their fishing, to catch less than 10% of total harvest from marine waters. Photo credit: Karena Kaihe-WoolstonT here is somefor less than 20% of the harvestthis dropped to 18%. There were uncertainty aboutfrom fish populations in inshorejust over 1.1 million fishing trips, what is taken in somewaters, in which the public havewith 52% of those occurring in small-scale fisheries,an interest. This is, for the mainNorth Island waters between so to be conservativespecies that the public targets withinNorth Cape and East Cape.the New Zealand Sport12 nautical miles of the coast. Shellfish harvest has dramatically Fishing Council andreduced, partly due to the LegaSea often referPOPULATION CHANGES scallop closures and area controls to overall recreational harvest asAs New Zealands populationprohibiting shellfish harvesting. The being less than 10% of total harvest. dynamics change, so does thedegradation of inter-tidal habitat In terms of total weight, the 2023profile of recreational fishing. Whenhas contributed to the loss of tuatua, survey estimates recreationalcompared to the 2012 and 2018pipi, mussels, and cockles. Between harvest was less than 6,000surveys, in 2023 there were fewer2018 and 2023 there has also been tonnes. This compares to aroundpeople fishing and less fishing trips. a reduction in the number of crayfish 340,000 tonnes of fish landed byIn 2018 an estimated 20% of thecaught, with a 29% reduction in the commercial fishers in the same year. population classed themselvesamount of spiny red rock lobster Recreational fishing accountsas a recreational fisher. In 2023landed by recreational fishers. /FISHINGINGODZONE39'