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Bay of Islands Fishing Rules 2026: Bag Limits, Net Rules and Closed Areas
The Bay of Islands — great fishing, and some of NZ's tightest local net rules.
Last updated: September 2026. The Bay of Islands is one of the best pieces of fishing water in New Zealand — and one of the most heavily regulated. Between the set net closed season, the no-net zones at Cape Brett, the rāhui tapu areas, the caulerpa controlled area at Te Rāwhiti and the 2026 crayfish closure, the rules have changed a great deal in the last few years.
A lot of the summaries floating around online are out of date. The widely shared Fish Forever amateur fishing regulations page is a great local resource, but it carries its own warning: "the data below is only current as at 2nd September 2019." Since then the kina limit has tripled, Northland scallops have closed, snapper limits changed and spiny crayfish have been closed off along the whole east coast from Pārengarenga Harbour to Cape Rodney.
This guide pulls the current rules together in one place — bag limits, size limits, minimum net mesh sizes, the net-specific law, and every Bay of Islands closure we could verify — checked against the Fisheries New Zealand Auckland & Kermadec rules and the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013 (version as at 25 April 2024).
Bay of Islands bag limits 2026 at a glance.
What has changed since 2019
- Northland scallops (SCA 1) are closed — the entire quota management area has been shut to scallop harvesting since 1 April 2022, until further notice.
- Kina limit tripled — from 50 to 150 per fisher in FMA 1 (North Cape to Cape Runaway) since 1 August 2024.
- Spiny (red) crayfish closed — from 1 April 2026 you cannot take or possess spiny rock lobster anywhere on the east coast between Pārengarenga Harbour and Cape Rodney. That includes the whole Bay of Islands. Penalty up to $100,000 and forfeiture of gear.
- Packhorse crayfish still allowed — daily limit of 3 per fisher in CRA 1.
- Caulerpa controls at Te Rāwhiti Inlet — no fishing of any kind and no anchoring inside the controlled area.
- Rāhui tapu — Maunganui Bay (Deep Water Cove) through to Opourua/Oke Bay, and Mimiwhangata, are no-take areas.
Finfish: bag limits and size limits
The Bay of Islands sits in the Auckland & Kermadec area. There is a combined daily bag limit of 20 finfish per fisher, excluding baitfish and freshwater eels. Inside that 20, some species have their own individual limits you must not exceed.
Individual daily limits (within the bag of 20)
| Species | Daily limit | Min length | Min set net mesh | Min drag net mesh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snapper (Auckland East – SNA 1) | 7 | 30 cm | 125 mm | 125 mm |
| Kingfish | 3 | 75 cm | 100 mm | 100 mm |
| Bluenose | 5 | — | 160 mm | 100 mm |
| Groper (hāpuku) / bass | 2 | — | 160 mm | — |
| Southern bluefin tuna | 1 | — | 100 mm | 100 mm |
The Bay of Islands is in SNA 1 (North Cape to Cape Runaway, out to 200 nautical miles), so the snapper rule here is 7 fish at a minimum of 30 cm — not the 10 at 27 cm that applies on the Auckland west coast. Hāpuku/bass also carry an accumulation limit of no more than 3 per fisher over a multi-day trip.
Size limits and minimum mesh sizes for other finfish
| Species | Min length | Min set net mesh | Min drag net mesh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue cod | 30 cm (landed whole or gutted) | — | — |
| Blue moki | 40 cm | 114 mm | 115 mm |
| Butterfish (greenbone) | 35 cm | 108 mm | 108 mm |
| Elephant fish | — | 150 mm | 150 mm |
| Flatfish (except sand flounder) | 25 cm | 114 mm | 100 mm |
| Sand flounder | 23 cm | 114 mm | 100 mm |
| Grey mullet | — | 90 mm | 85 mm |
| Kahawai | — | 90 mm | 85 mm |
| Parore | — | 114 mm | 100 mm |
| Red cod | 25 cm | 100 mm | 100 mm |
| Red gurnard | 25 cm | 100 mm | 100 mm |
| Red moki | 40 cm | 115 mm | 115 mm |
| Rig | — | 125 mm | 150 mm |
| School shark | — | 125 mm | 100 mm |
| Tarakihi | 25 cm | 100 mm | 100 mm |
| Trevally | 25 cm | 125 mm | 100 mm |
| Trumpeter | 35 cm | 100 mm | 100 mm |
| All other finfish | — | 100 mm | 100 mm |
Baitfish and eels — on top of your 20
You may take 50 baitfish per fisher in total (any combination) on top of the combined bag: anchovy, jack/horse/Chilean mackerel, koheru/scad, pilchard, piper/garfish, slender and stout sprat, and yellow-eyed mullet. Freshwater eels are limited to 6 per fisher (minimum 12 mm mesh).
This is why bait netting is popular up here — but note the Bay of Islands has some of the tightest net rules in the country (see below). Our piper and bait net range covers the legal 25 mm mesh gear for piper and yellow-eyed mullet.
Shellfish limits
| Species | Daily limit per fisher | Min size |
|---|---|---|
| Cockle | 150 | — |
| Pipi | 150 | — |
| Tuatua | 150 | — |
| Kina (sea eggs) | 150 in FMA 1 | — |
| Green-lipped mussels | 50 | — |
| Rock and Pacific oysters | 250 | — |
| Dredge oysters | 50 | 58 mm |
| Pāua (ordinary) | 10 | 125 mm |
| Pāua (yellow foot) | 10 | 80 mm |
| Scallops | Closed in Northland (SCA 1) | 100 mm elsewhere |
| Toheroa | Prohibited | — |
| All others combined | 50 | — |
Pāua and dredge oysters must be landed in the shell. Rock and Pacific oysters must not be opened while still attached to the rock they grew on.
Crayfish — read this before you set a pot
This is the biggest change for Bay of Islands fishers. From 1 April 2026, no one may take or possess spiny (red) rock lobster on the east coast between Pārengarenga Harbour and Cape Rodney. The Bay of Islands is inside that closure. It applies to recreational and commercial fishers alike, and does not affect authorised customary fishing.
Packhorse rock lobster may still be taken: the daily limit in CRA 1 is 3 per fisher (in areas open to rock lobster fishing), with a minimum tail length of 216 mm.
Where spiny crayfish are legal, minimum tail width is 54 mm for males and 60 mm for females — if you are unsure of the sex, use 60 mm. You must always return: undersize crays, any female in berry, any soft-shell cray, and any cray that cannot be measured.
If you are potting for packhorse or fishing outside the closure, our crayfish pots, pot floats and buoys and craypot rope are all NZ-tested gear. Pots must carry escape apertures and be marked with your name.
Minimum legal mesh sizes, set net and drag net.
Net rules that apply everywhere in NZ
These come straight from the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013. Every one of them carries a fine of up to $10,000.
- Set nets (reg 34): maximum 60 m long, only one net per person, no net set within 60 m of another net, and no baited set nets (fyke nets excepted). You may carry a second net on board only if it is under 10 m long with mesh under 50 mm — the bait net exemption.
- Drag nets (reg 35): maximum 40 m of net and 200 m of total warp, one drag net at a time.
- Marking (reg 33): a surface float at each end of a set net, legibly and permanently marked with your initials and surname.
- Channels and arms of the sea (reg 37): your net must not extend more than a quarter of the width of a river, stream, channel, estuary, inlet, bay or sound.
- Mesh size (reg 22): you must use at least the minimum mesh for the species you are targeting — see the tables above.
- Poles and stakes (reg 38) may not be used with a net, nets may only be hauled by hand (reg 39), and stalling is prohibited (reg 40).
Bay of Islands local net closures.
Bay of Islands: the local net rules
1. No nets at all — Bird Rock, Cape Brett and Ninepin
Regulation 75 bans the use of any net for fishing in the waters within 1 nautical mile of Bird Rock, the northernmost point of Cape Brett, and Ninepin. That includes cast nets, bait nets, set nets and drag nets. Fine: up to $10,000.
2. Eastern Bay of Islands — set net and set line closed season
Inside the Bay of Islands set net and set line closure area (a line from Tapeka Point across to Motuarohia/Roberton Island, Moturua, Okahu/Red Head Island and Kohangaatara Point on the eastern side of the Albert Channel) you must not use or even possess a set net or set line from 1 October to 30 April. Nets targeting grey mullet or flatfish are exempt from that closed season — but they still have to meet the national set net rules and the correct mesh size.
3. Cape Wiwiki, Whale Rock, The Twins to Cape Brett — no set netting
Set netting is prohibited year round in this stretch on the northern side of the Bay.
4. Rāhui tapu and protected areas
- Maunganui Bay (Deep Water Cove) through to Opourua/Oke Bay — rāhui tapu, no fishing.
- Mimiwhangata — rāhui tapu, no fishing; also listed by Fisheries NZ as no set netting or set lines.
- Ngā Au o Morunga Mai Rakaumangamanga Protection Area — commercial bulk harvesting (seining and trawling) prohibited to 100 m depth.
- Te Puna Mātaitai — tangata whenua manage non-commercial fishing here through bylaws; check the current bylaw before you fish.
- Te Rāwhiti Inlet caulerpa controlled area — bounded by Whau Point, the south-eastern tip of Te Ao Island, the eastern shoreline of Poroporo Island and the northern tip of Tokatokahau Point. No fishing of any kind, no taking any marine life, and no anchoring without a permit.
Exotic caulerpa is the reason a lot of seabed-contact fishing is being restricted around Northland and the Hauraki Gulf. If you are moving between areas, check your anchor, chain and net for weed, bag anything you find and dispose of it on land.
Match the mesh to the species — most net infringements are simple mesh-size mistakes.
Choosing gear that is legal in the Bay
Most net infringements up here are simple mesh-size or length mistakes. Match the net to the species and you are most of the way there:
- Flounder and flatfish — 114 mm set net / 100 mm drag net. See our flounder set nets and flounder drag nets. Flatfish are exempt from the eastern Bay closed season.
- Grey mullet and kahawai — 90 mm set net / 85 mm drag net. See our mullet and kahawai drag nets. Grey mullet is the other species exempt from the closed season.
- Snapper and general purpose — 125 mm. See our NZ-made snapper and multi-purpose nets.
- Butterfish (greenbone) — 108 mm. See our butterfish nets.
- Piper, yellow-eyed mullet and other baitfish — 25 mm. See our piper and bait nets.
All our nets are made here in New Zealand to legal mesh sizes, and we can build custom lengths. If you are unsure what is legal where you fish, ask us — we have been making nets for the New Zealand market for over 55 years.
Quick reference — Bay of Islands
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Combined finfish bag | 20 per fisher |
| Snapper | 7 per fisher, 30 cm (SNA 1) |
| Baitfish | 50 per fisher, additional |
| Spiny (red) crayfish | Closed — Pārengarenga to Cape Rodney, from 1 Apr 2026 |
| Packhorse crayfish | 3 per fisher, 216 mm tail |
| Scallops | Closed (SCA 1) since 1 Apr 2022 |
| Kina | 150 per fisher (FMA 1) |
| Set net | 60 m max, 1 net, both ends float-marked with your name |
| Drag net | 40 m net, 200 m warp, 1 net |
| Bird Rock / Cape Brett / Ninepin | No nets of any kind within 1 nm |
| Eastern Bay of Islands | No set nets or set lines 1 Oct – 30 Apr (grey mullet and flatfish exempt) |
| Cape Wiwiki / Whale Rock / The Twins – Cape Brett | No set netting, year round |
| Maunganui Bay – Oke Bay, Mimiwhangata | Rāhui tapu, no fishing |
| Te Rāwhiti Inlet | No fishing, no anchoring (caulerpa CAN) |
Before you go
Rules change, and temporary closures appear at short notice. Check the Fisheries New Zealand Auckland & Kermadec rules page or the free NZ Fishing Rules app on the day you fish, and read any signs at the ramp. To report poaching, call 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24).
Disclaimer: this guide is a summary written in September 2026 for general information. It is not legal advice. The official rules are the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013 and the current Fisheries New Zealand notices — always check them before fishing.
Sources: Fisheries New Zealand — Auckland & Kermadec area fishing rules; Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013 (version as at 25 April 2024), regs 22, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 75 and Schedule 14; Fish Forever — amateur fishing regs, Te Rāwhiti caulerpa controlled area and Bay of Islands / Mimiwhangata marine protection pages; Northland Regional Council marine protection areas.
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