However, the impact of recreational fishing cannot be underestimated. In the Hauraki Gulf, some 220,000 recreational fishers haul up the same tonnage of snapper per year as commercial fishers, but few believe the recreational take is impacting fish stocks or habitats. It is more frequently referred to as a birthright than a privilege—or a detrimental activity.

Of the top 15 finfish caught in the gulf, only four are at or above sustainable populations. What if fishers treated limits as limits, rather than targets? How about we heroically haul up our fish, and call it a day, rather than catching a boat-load—which, admit it, is kind of repulsive?