Can you eat kahawai?

It is best to kill kahawai and bleed as soon as possible as the flesh goes off quickly. They do have distinctive brownish blood lines when filleted. Kahawai are reasonably good eating but especially good for curries or fish pie and are brilliant smoked.

What is the best time to catch kahawai?

Best Times Morning & evening seem best but kahawai can be caught year round and at any time during the day. Soft baits, jigs, flies, spinners and flasher rigs are all very effective. They’ll eat any of our normal cut baits such as pilchards, squid skipjack etc.

Do you need a Licence to fish for kahawai?

You don’t need a kahawai licence, there is no such thing, but you might need a Fish & Game Sports Fishing Licence. The legal position is: If you are fishing in freshwater and using gear that could reasonably be expected to catch sports fish (Trout, Salmon and Perch) you need a valid sports fish licence.

What is the legal size for snapper in New Zealand?

species
Table 2 – additional to combined bag

Finfish species	Min fish length (cm)	Max daily limit (per fisher)
Grey Mullet	–	30
Pilchard	–	–
Snapper*	27	10
Snapper (SNA1)*	30	7

What is the legal size for a kahawai?

Table 1: Combined bag

Finfish Species	Min fish length (cm)	Max daily limit per fisher
Kahawai	–	20
Grey Mullet	–	20
Parore	–	20
Pilchard	–	No limit

Is there a size limit for kahawai?

Fishing for kahawai The commercial catch limit for the main fishery – between North Cape and East Cape – is 1075 tonnes, out of a national commercial limit of 2728. The fish in the Hauraki Gulf during summer are usually much smaller and about two to three years of age. The biggest kahawai ever caught was 79 cm.

Where can I catch kahawai in NZ?

The main fishing grounds are around the North Island, in Cook Strait and north of Kaikoura in the South Island. Commercially, most Kahawai are caught by purse seine year-round, but are often targeted in the winter when the Skipjack tuna have moved north.

What is the legal size for kahawai?

20
Table 1: Combined bag

Finfish Species	Min fish length (cm)	Max daily limit per fisher
Kahawai	–	20
Grey Mullet	–	20
Parore	–	20
Pilchard	–	No limit

Is kahawai native to NZ?

Kahawai are a pelagic school fish of the Arripidae family (kahawai). At 95 centimetres, they are bigger than the common Kahawai. They are found in northern New Zealand waters and around the Kermadec Islands.

Can kahawai live in fresh water?

Kahawai are available all around the New Zealand shoreline. They can be found in rippling schools mixing with other species such as skipjack tuna, barracouta, trevally or mackerel. You may find them in a rivermouth, or even well up a freshwater river, out of reach of the saltwater they spend most of their lives in.

What is the size limit for kahawai?

Do kahawai have a size limit?

The recreational catch limit for kahawai is 20 fish. The biggest kahawai ever caught was 79 cm. It was caught by a recreational fisher in the Waitangi Estuary, in Hawke Bay in August 1997.