Kahawai fishing quotas from the North Cape to the East Cape will be unchanged by a technical adjustment to the total catch limit, Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley says.
His announcement follows a review of kahawai catch limits and will take effect from Friday.
Mr Heatley said the technical adjustment to the total catch limit and to recreational and customary allowances in the largest kahawai fishery (KAH1), from the North Cape to near the East Cape, was based on scientific advice.
"Because this reduction is only a technical adjustment nothing will change on the water. There will be no change to recreational fishing rules or daily bag limits," he said.
Commercial catch limits would remain at current levels.
"At current catch levels kahawai numbers are set to continue growing and give more fish for everyone to catch more easily," Mr Heatley said.
A Ministry of Fisheries official told NZPA the technical adjustment was a reduction of customary and recreational allocations to the level they are currently fished at. That meant a reduction in the total allowable catch, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Heatley also announced the need for amateur charter fishing boats to register their boats.
He said from November 1 they would be required to be registered and to report their fishing activity and catches of certain high-value fish species such as kingfish and rock lobster in various parts of the country.
The move was aimed to help a better understanding of fisheries, he said.
"To make sure the interests of amateur fishers are taken into account in management decisions we need to understand where, when and how they fish, as well as what they catch."
There were an estimated 600 charter boats around the country.
