Nelson, Marlborough and Golden Bay fishing rules
Size and daily limits for the top of the South Island, from the West Coast north of Awarua Point around Golden Bay, Tasman Bay and the Marlborough Sounds to Clarence Point.
Checked against MPI on 28 October 2026 (MPI last reviewed 15 July 2026). Rules change, and some harbours and reserves have their own rules or are closed. Always check the official app before you keep a fish.
Popular fish
Snapper
tāmure
- Snapper (Challenger area)10 a dayMin 25 cm
- Snapper (Marlborough Sounds)3 a dayMin 25 cm
New Zealand's most popular saltwater fish. Pinkish-red with bright blue spots. Found over reefs, channels, mussel farms and soft bottom from the shore out to around 100 m. Ledger rigs with fresh bait, softbaits and slow jigs all work, best around the change of light and the tide.
Spring snapper: how to rig up- Snapper (Challenger area)
Kingfish
haku
- 3 a dayMin 75 cm
Big, fast and strong, with a yellow tail and a bronze stripe down the side. Hunts around pinnacles, points, reefs and wharves. Live bait, jigs and stickbaits on heavy gear. Many anglers release the big breeders.
How to catch kingfish
Kahawai
- Within the 20No minimum
Silver, hard-fighting and found in schools right around the coast, often busting up bait on the surface. Takes small lures, softbaits, flies and bait. Bleed it straight away and keep it cold for the best eating.
How to catch kahawai
Blue cod
rāwaru
- Blue cod (Tasman: Farewell Spit to Clarence River, including the Marlborough Sounds)2 a dayMin 33 cmLand whole or gutted only. The Marlborough Sounds are closed to blue cod from 1 September to 10 January every year.
- Blue cod (Kahurangi: Heaphy River to Farewell Spit)10 a dayMin 33 cmLand whole or gutted only.
- Blue cod (Westland: Haast River to Heaphy River)15 a dayMin 33 cmLand whole, gutted, or headed and gutted (headed minimum 24 cm).
- Blue cod (South West: Sandhill Point to Haast River)10 a dayMin 33 cmLand whole or gutted only.
The classic southern reef fish, found right around the country but most common from Cook Strait south. A curious fish that comes to bait readily. Limits vary a lot from place to place, and it must be landed whole or gutted in most areas so it can be measured.
- Blue cod (Tasman: Farewell Spit to Clarence River, including the Marlborough Sounds)
Gurnard
kumukumu
- Within the 20Min 25 cm
Red gurnard live on sand and mud bottoms and walk along on the front rays of their fins, which have bright blue edges. They grunt when landed. Small baits on flasher rigs drifted over sand work well.
How to catch gurnard
Trevally
araara
- Within the 20Min 25 cm
Schooling fish with a soft mouth, so play them gently. Found in harbours, around reefs and along surf beaches. Small baits and berley bring them in.
Tarakihi
- Within the 20Min 25 cm
Silver with a black band behind the head. Lives over sand and gravel near reefs, usually in deeper water. Small hooks with bait.
Hāpuku
- 2 a dayNo minimumNo more than 3 per person when taken over more than one day.
Hāpuku and bass are big groper from deep reefs, often 100 m or more. Heavy gear and big baits. Limits are low, so take only what you need.
Flounder
pātiki
- Within the 20Min 25 cm
Flatfish of harbours, estuaries and sandy shallows. Small baits on light gear, or set nets and spears where allowed. Sand flounder often has a smaller minimum than other flatfish.
Blue moki
- Within the 20Min 40 cm
Grey-blue reef fish often found over sand next to rocks. Takes shellfish and crab baits.
Red cod
- Within the 20Min 25 cm
Soft-fleshed fish of sandy and muddy bottoms, more common in the south. Best eaten fresh.
Elephant fish
- Within the 20No minimum
A shark relative with a trunk-like snout that feeds over sand, mostly on the east coast of the South Island in spring and summer. Takes shellfish and crab baits.
Tuna
- 1 a dayNo minimum
Southern bluefin tuna turn up offshore in winter. Big fish on heavy game gear.
Salmon
- 1 a dayNo minimum
Quinnat (chinook) salmon run up the big South Island rivers in summer and are sometimes caught at sea near the river mouths.
All finfish limits
Every species counts towards the 20 a day. Some also have their own lower limit.
| Species | Daily limit | Minimum size |
|---|---|---|
Blue cod (Tasman: Farewell Spit to Clarence River, including the Marlborough Sounds)Land whole or gutted only. The Marlborough Sounds are closed to blue cod from 1 September to 10 January every year. | 2 | 33 cm |
Blue cod (Kahurangi: Heaphy River to Farewell Spit)Land whole or gutted only. | 10 | 33 cm |
Blue cod (Westland: Haast River to Heaphy River)Land whole, gutted, or headed and gutted (headed minimum 24 cm). | 15 | 33 cm |
Blue cod (South West: Sandhill Point to Haast River)Land whole or gutted only. | 10 | 33 cm |
 Bluenose | 5 | — |
Hāpuku / bassNo more than 3 per person when taken over more than one day. | 2 | — |
Kingfish | 3 | 75 cm |
Quinnat salmon | 1 | — |
Snapper (Challenger area) | 10 | 25 cm |
Snapper (Marlborough Sounds) | 3 | 25 cm |
Southern bluefin tuna | 1 | — |
Blue moki | Within the 20 | 40 cm |
 Butterfish (greenbone) | Within the 20 | 35 cm |
Flatfish | Within the 20 | 25 cm |
Red cod | Within the 20 | 25 cm |
Red gurnard | Within the 20 | 25 cm |
 Red moki | Within the 20 | 40 cm |
Tarakihi | Within the 20 | 25 cm |
Trevally | Within the 20 | 25 cm |
 Trumpeter | Within the 20 | 35 cm |
Kahawai | Within the 20 | — |
Elephant fish | Within the 20 | — |
 Rig | Within the 20 | — |
 School shark | Within the 20 | — |
| All other finfish | Within the 20 | — |
Baitfish: 50 a day
Any mix of:
Anchovy, Jack, horse or Chilean mackerel, Koheru / scad, Pilchard, Piper / garfish, Slender or stout sprat, Yellow-eyed mullet.
Freshwater eels: 6 a day
On top of the 20 finfish and the baitfish.
Shellfish
| Species | Daily limit | Minimum size |
|---|---|---|
 Cockles | 150 | — |
 Kina (sea eggs) | 50 | — |
 Mussels | 50 | — |
 Dredge oysters | 50 | 58 mm |
 Rock and Pacific oysters | 250 | — |
 Pāua, ordinary (Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough) | 5 | 125 mm |
Pāua, yellow foot (Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough) | 5 | 80 mm |
Pāua, ordinary (Marfells Beach to Conway River)Open 1 May to 31 August only. | 3 | 130 mm |
Pāua, yellow foot (Marfells Beach to Conway River)Open 1 May to 31 August only. | 3 | 80 mm |
Pāua, ordinary (rest of the Challenger area) | 10 | 125 mm |
Pāua, yellow foot (rest of the Challenger area) | 10 | 80 mm |
 Pipi | 150 | — |
 ScallopsSeason 15 July to 14 February. The Marlborough Sounds, Tasman Bay, Golden Bay and Port Underwood are closed to scallops. | 50 | 90 mm |
 Toheroa | Prohibited | — |
 Tuatua | 150 | — |
All other shellfish (combined) | 50 | — |
Rock lobster (crayfish)
- 6 a day of spiny (red) and packhorse rock lobster combined, with no more than 3 packhorse.
- Minimum tail width: spiny (red) rock lobster 54 mm for males and 60 mm for females; packhorse rock lobster 84 mm for males and 90 mm for females. If unsure of the sex, use the female size.
- Return any female carrying eggs, any soft-shelled rock lobster and any you can’t measure.
Good to know
- The 20 finfish limit is per person per day, for any mix of finfish. Species with their own limit (like 10 snapper) count towards the 20.
- Baitfish (up to 50) and freshwater eels (up to 6) are on top of the 20.
- The nine Makaawhio mātaitai reserves near Haast have lower limits and some no-take species. Check the MPI page before fishing there.
- No fishing in the Hautai, Horoirangi, Kahurangi, Long Island, Punakaiki, Tauparikākā, Tonga Island and Westhaven Inlet marine reserves, or at Double Cove, the Maud Island area and the Waiau Glacier Coast.
- Set netting is banned from Farewell Spit to Cape Soucis, from Cape Jackson to the Clarence River out to 4 nautical miles, and along the West Coast out to 2 nautical miles.
- It is illegal to buy, sell or swap fish you catch recreationally.
Recent changes and closures
- The Marlborough Sounds blue cod closed season now runs from 1 September to 10 January every year (from the 2025–26 summer).
- 1 October 2025: new rules for the nine Makaawhio mātaitai reserves on the West Coast near Haast.
- The southern scallop fishery (SCA 7), including Port Underwood, is closed.
Other areas
Planning a trip? Check the bite times and tides for your spot.