Fisheries (Electronic Monitoring on Vessels) Amendment Regulations 2025
Checking for alerts... Loading...
2025/262
Fisheries (Electronic Monitoring on Vessels) Amendment Regulations 2025
Rt Hon Dame Helen Winkelmann, Administrator of the Government
Order in Council
At Wellington this 17th day of November 2025
Present:
Her Excellency the Administrator of the Government in Council
These regulations are made under section 297 of the Fisheries Act 1996 on the advice and with the consent of the Executive Council.
Contents
Regulations
1 Title
These regulations are the Fisheries (Electronic Monitoring on Vessels) Amendment Regulations 2025.
2 Commencement
These regulations come into force on 18 December 2025.
3 Principal regulations
These regulations amend the Fisheries (Electronic Monitoring on Vessels) Regulations 2017.
4 Regulation 3 amended (Interpretation)
In regulation 3, definition of associated information, replace “regulation 9(1)(d)”
with “regulation 9(1)(b)”
.
5 Regulation 3A amended (Meaning of monitored fishing)
In regulation 3A(1), replace the table with:
| Fishing using this method | on a vessel of this overall length | |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom longlining | 8–32 m | |
| Danish seining | ≥8 m | |
| Purse seining | ≥8 m | |
| Set netting (except if a vessel uses 1 or more tenders to set and haul the nets) | ≥8 m | |
| Surface longlining | ≥8 m | |
| Trawling (unless done for the purpose of targeting scampi) | 8–32 m |
6 Regulation 9 amended (Monitored fishing, transportation, and associated information must be recorded)
(1)
In the heading to regulation 9, delete “, transportation,”
.
(2)
Revoke regulation 9(1)(a)(ii).
(3)
After regulation 9(1), insert:
(1A)
The electronic monitoring equipment must be recording during—
(a)
the monitored fishing and related activities; and
(b)
transit to and from locations where those activities are being carried out.
(1B)
To avoid doubt, the electronic monitoring equipment need not be recording if—
(a)
the vessel is anchored, drifting, or powered down; and
(b)
no monitored fishing and related activities are being carried out; and
(4)
In regulation 9(2)(a)(i), delete “or transported”
.
(5)
In regulation 9(2)(b), replace “sorted, or transported”
with “or sorted”
.
7 Regulation 13 amended (Circulars specifying requirements relating to electronic monitoring)
In regulation 13(1)(d), replace “regulation 9(1)(d)”
with “regulation 9(1)(b)”
.
8 Schedule 1 amended
In Schedule 1, revoke clause 1(3).
Rachel Hayward,
Clerk of the Executive Council.
Explanatory note
This note is not part of the regulations but is intended to indicate their general effect.
These regulations, which come into force on 18 December 2025, amend the Fisheries (Electronic Monitoring on Vessels) Regulations 2017 (the principal regulations).
The principal regulations require the installation and use of electronic monitoring equipment on fishing vessels that use specified fishing methods.
These regulations amend the principal regulations to exclude the following vessels from electronic monitoring requirements:
vessels less than 8 metres in overall length; and
set net vessels using the mothership and tender model; and
bottom longline vessels greater than 32 metres in overall length.
These regulations also revoke the requirement that electronic monitoring equipment is used to record transportation connected with monitored fishing and replace it with a requirement that electronic monitoring equipment is operational and recording during transit to and from locations for monitored fishing, as well as during all monitored fishing and related activities.
Amendments have also been made to update cross-references in the principal regulations.
Regulatory impact statement
The Ministry for Primary Industries produced a regulatory impact statement on 23 July 2025 to help inform the decisions taken by the Government relating to the contents of this instrument.
A copy of this regulatory impact statement can be found at—
Date of notification in Gazette: 20 November 2025.
These regulations are administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Versions
Fisheries (Electronic Monitoring on Vessels) Amendment Regulations 2025
RSS feed link copied, you can now paste this link into your feed reader.