The photograph of whitebaiting on the West Coast was taken by Queenstown's Chris Read.
More than 200 entries were received by the ministry. Entrants were asked to capture images which celebrated their connection with the sea and fishing.
Chief executive Wayne McNee said the entries were of a high standard and captured the "special relationship" New Zealanders had with fishing.
Judges included Dominion Post's Ross Giblin, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa photography curator Athol McCredie and Wellington photographer Simon Woolf.
Mr Read, who could not be reached for comment, won a $1000 voucher for photography equipment.
The overall winner, Mark Armstrong, of Waihi, won an additional $1000 voucher for his image of fur seals playing beside a trawler hurtling through 50-knot winds.
