The bill, which is scheduled to have it's first reading on Tuesday, has been welcomed by the commercial sector but condemned by recreational fishing groups. It's beginning of the end for our fish stocks, and that' not over dramatising it." He said it wouldn't encourage commercial fishers to avoid undersized fish and would decrease overall fish stocks. The current recreational size limit for snapper is between 25cm and 30cm depending on location, while the commercial size limit is 25cm. Seafood New Zealand's Inshore Policy Manager Tamar Wells said the commercial sector was trying to make the industry more sustainable.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 23, 2026 04:40 UTC