Blue Cod / Rāwaru seasonal closure has been extended.

Every year, Fisheries NZ closes the Marlborough Sounds for blue cod fishing.

In August, the Marlborough Sounds Blue Cod Review was released, and following this, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries “… decided to extend the seasonal closure of the Marlborough Sounds Area recreational and commercial blue cod fishery (previously 1 September to 19 December inclusive) to 1 September to 10 January annually, effective for the upcoming 2025–26 summer and onwards.”

This extended closure will give blue cod more time to recover but the future of blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds also depends on you. Every fisher has a personal responsibility to fish with care, respect the rules, and avoid unnecessary harm to this taonga species.

You can do your bit by remembering to:

• Be intentional about your fishing by picking a target species, gear, and area accordingly.
• If you’re not targeting blue cod, don’t fish over rocky margins.
• Use the right hook to avoid having to return small cod or gut-hooking ones you don’t want.
• Try to remove hooks with the fish in the water. Otherwise, use a wet, shady surface, a gentle touch, and minimise handling time.
• Move if you are catching lots of small fish, or birds become an issue.
• Stop fishing once you’ve caught what you want to keep.

If you are planning on putting a hook in the water this summer, then please do read the Responsible Blue Cod Fishing Guidelines. It has plenty of tips on how to avoid catching blue cod, avoiding birds, and handling for release.

You can check the rules and guidelines for measurement of all fish species on the free NZ Fishing Rules app, on the MPI website, www.mpi.govt.nz/fishingrules, in the brochures available at our marina offices, or by free texting 9889 with the name of the species – eg: “blue cod” or “paua”.