Fisheries New Zealand is seeking public input on whether a longstanding exception to commercial landing rules for pelagic sharks should be kept in place, opening a formal consultation that runs until late February 2026.
The review centres on blue shark, mako shark, and porbeagle shark. All three species fall within the Quota Management System, yet they are most frequently taken not by design but as bycatch. Under standard fisheries legislation, every quota-managed species must be brought ashore. Pelagic sharks, however, have for many years been covered by a specific carve-out under section 72A of the Fisheries Act, and it is the future of that carve-out now under scrutiny.
The exception permits commercial fishers to return pelagic sharks to the water, whether the animal is alive or dead, provided the catch is counted against annual catch entitlement or subject to deemed values. The fish does not have to come ashore, but it still has to be accounted for.
The reasons this exception was introduced, and repeatedly retained through subsequent management reviews, come down to two practical realities. Pelagic sharks ammoniate rapidly after death, and the compounds released can taint other fish stored in the same hold, creating a cross-contamination risk that is particularly acute on smaller vessels where hold space is limited. These are also large and powerful animals. Handling them safely on deck, especially aboard surface longline vessels working open water, is genuinely hazardous for crew. In many situations, separating sharks from the rest of the catch without damaging other fish or putting people at risk is simply not workable.
What Fisheries New Zealand is proposing is largely the continuation of current practice. The consultation is not about expanding catch allowances or creating new fishing rights. Rather, it is about maintaining existing arrangements while ensuring returned sharks remain properly accounted for within the quota system. Fisheries New Zealand's own catch data indicates that pelagic shark captures sit well below total allowable commercial catch limits, and that these species are seldom targeted deliberately.
Sharks that are still alive and likely to survive may continue to be released under rules that already exist. Fisheries New Zealand has signalled that wider questions around live release practices may be examined separately in future work programmes.
The proposal amounts to a status quo position, but the Fisheries Amendment Act 2022 still requires a formal consultation process, which is why submissions are being called for now. Fisheries New Zealand wants to hear from commercial operators, iwi, environmental organisations, recreational fishers, and members of the general public. Some iwi fisheries management plans identify sharks as species of cultural significance, while others may wish to raise concerns about animal welfare, minimising waste, or the broader mechanics of how bycatch rules function in practice.
Submissions do not need to be technical documents. Fisheries New Zealand has made a submission template available, but people are equally welcome to submit feedback in plain language and their own words.
Consultation opened on 29 January 2026 and closes at 5pm on 27 February 2026. Submissions can be emailed to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz or sent by post to Fisheries New Zealand in Wellington. All submissions are treated as public information and may be released under the Official Information Act.
