Boats towed over Auckland Harbour Bridge in fishing protest convoy

More than 500 vehicles, many towing boats, have crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge today in a protest against aspects of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Act and other proposed fishing reforms.

The One Ocean convoy travelled nearly 30km from Albany to Mission Bay, with organisers and supporters calling for “one rule for all” in how the Gulf is managed.

Co-organiser Ben Chissell said the protest was not against commercial fishing, but his position was that if the Hauraki Gulf was so badly depleted that areas needed to be shut off, then no one should fish them.

Legislation which came into effect last month extended two existing marine reserves and established five seafloor protection zones where the bottom of the ocean can't be significantly disturbed.

Twelve high-protection areas were also created by the bill, where a range of activities, including most commercial and recreational fishing, were prohibited. However, some commercial ring net fishing operators were granted limited access to two of these areas in a late-stage amendment.

"If it’s going to be a marine reserve, it needs to be a marine reserve for everyone," said co-organiser Nicky Wilson.

"It's got to be one rule for all, because there is only one ocean. We've got to look after it, we can't take away the rights for recreationals to fish. We are all behind that, if it means everybody can't go in there and fish."

Chissell said it was "pretty emotional" to see the massive turnout at the protest.

"Fishermen, fisherwoman, recreational public, we always get cast aside, and we're always the one taking the biggest hit for something that we all contribute to."

Concerns were also raised today about a proposal which would allow commercial sale of bycatch from marlin and 19 other reef species.

"We've seen this with the broadbill situation in the 90s, where it went from 20 tonne to 900 tonne in the space of 10 years, when they allowed the exact same scenario. This is a carbon copy of it."

In response to the protest, Seafood NZ chief executive Lisa Futschek said there was wide-scale surveillance on commercial vessels.

"It will be absolutely possible for marlin to be confirmed and verified by the cameras as being dead."

Chissell had a message for the Fisheries Minister.

"Shane Jones... start listening to your voter base, because they're all here."

In a video posted to social media, Fisheries Minister Shane Jones said the proposal around marlin was a "sensible idea" because it avoided "inordinate wastage".

"However, it has stirred up some anxieties and misinformation so – as you would expect from Shane Jones, a champion of the fishing sector, including the industry – I'm going to have a constructive dialogue, a set of exchanges, to ensure that this powerful lobby group, the recreational fishing lobby group located in Auckland and Northland, have an opportunity, as we say in Kaitaia, kanohi te kanohi, face to face."

He said he would travel to Paihia on Sunday to "engage with a range of identities and concerned citizens".

"I'm looking forward to this constructive dialogue and put to bed unnecessarily extreme and mischievous mythologies around my stewardship as Fisheries Minister".

Among the supporters of the protest was celebrity fisher Matt Watson, who described the fishing grounds carve-out as "blatantly unfair" for the public and for the marine environment.

"That is not fair, and I'm proud that Kiwis are getting together and going to protest," he said in a post to Facebook.

LegaSea programme director Sam Woolford, whose organisation advocated for sustainable fisheries, said today’s turnout showed the public had run out of patience.

“We haven’t felt like we’ve been heard,” he said. "Crayfish are gone… scallops are gone. The time it’s taken the government to do meaningful change is just too long, and the public is fed up with it."

Police said they monitored the protest from Albany to Mission Bay and back, while warning motorists to expect congestion. They said more than 500 vehicles, many of them towing boats, took part.

"Congestion can be expected, and members of the public may experience some delays, so we encourage people to plan ahead and allow extra time.

"While police recognise the right to lawful protest, our focus is to ensure the safety of all and to minimise traffic disruption as much as possible."

An NZTA spokesperson also warned the protest could lead to congestion across the motorway network.