Tarakihi bag set at 10 as commercial cuts split east and west

Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has set a recreational limit of 10 tarakihi per person nationwide.

Commercial limits for tarakihi are cut by different amounts. The eastern fishery is reduced by 20 percent. The western fishery is reduced by 55 percent, according to RNZ.

Jones said he considered the latest science and catch information. He said he considered uncertainty about future stocks of young fish. He said he considered the effects of using the fishery.

The decisions were reported on 22 September 2026 and apply nationwide. The Government said lower catch limits for tarakihi will reduce fishing pressure and help promote recovery, according to Beehive.

The tarakihi changes sit inside a wider finfish package. The recreational limit for butterfish is reduced to five per person. Other limits are increased. Snapper and trevally are increased on the North Island's east coast. Leatherjacket is increased on the South Island's east and south coast. Frostfish and blue mackerel are increased in deep water.

The package is split. Tarakihi and butterfish face tighter recreational controls. Several other finfish stocks have more room. The commercial tarakihi cut is steepest in the west and more moderate in the east. The recreational tarakihi limit is now uniform across the country.

The broader context here is how ministers balance restraint and use in one round. A cut to a high-profile inshore stock like tarakihi creates friction with commercial and recreational fishers. Pairing it with increases elsewhere does not change the assessment for tarakihi. It changes how the package is received. Both sectors read the whole list. For officials and industry advisers, the signal is that Jones treated stocks separately rather than moving the whole inshore group one way.

Looking at what this means for implementation, the gap matters. A 20 percent cut and a 55 percent cut need different adjustment. Quota holders, ACE traders who buy and sell yearly catch rights, and processors in the west face a sharper drop in volume. Charter operators and recreational fishers face a simpler rule, one national bag for tarakihi plus a lower butterfish bag. One rule is easier to explain and enforce. The cost is that local abundance or scarcity is no longer reflected in the recreational rule.

In my view, the three factors Jones cited will get close attention. Latest science and catch information, uncertainty about young fish, and effects of use point to caution about future recruitment, the young fish that grow into the fishery, without predicting year-class strength. That leaves room for both sectors to argue about shares next time. Expect close reading of the advice behind the east-west split, and why butterfish was tightened while snapper, trevally, leatherjacket, frostfish and blue mackerel were loosened in the specified areas.