Getting Started

There are seven steps for any person or company to start commercially fishing in Aotearoa New Zealand. The following list provides information about these.

ACE is the catch right, which gives the holder the right to take a certain weight of a fish stock during a fishing year. ACE is determined annually based on the TACC.

ACE can only be obtained in the following ways:

• By owning quota shares at the beginning of the fishing year and those shares generating ACE

• By purchasing ACE from another ACE owner

• By owning quota shares at the time of an in-season TAC increase

• As a result of a pre-season TACC increase

Fishserve holds a register of ACE for all Quota stocks. You can look up who owns ACE for any Quota stocks using our online tool. To buy ACE you must be registered as a Fishserve client.

All commercial fishers need to ‘land’ (sell) the fish they have caught to an LFR. All LFRs are registered with Fishserve. To find a LFR you can use our online tool.

Under Aotearoa New Zealand fisheries rules all commercial fishers must submit catch reports every time they fish. These must be submitted throughout the fishing trip. This must be done through an electronic logbook (elogbook). MPI holds a list of all elogbook providers and further information on reporting requirements.  

You need to choose a provider that allows you to meet the reporting regulations. This will depend on your method of fishing, duration of your fishing trips and the vessels technology (data transmission capability for multi-day trips). 

To become a commercial fisher or to apply for a Fish Receivers License you first need to register as a Fishserve client. To do this you need to complete the relevant client application form. Depending on your business set-up, you can register as a: 

• Company, Incorporated Society, Limited Partnership or; 

• Individual or Sole Trader or; 

• Trust or Partnership. 

There is no fee to register as a client. After your application is processed you will be notified of your client number.  At this point the transactions you make as a client start incurring charges. 

Once you are a client, you can also include additional people under your client number through the 'Authorised Personnel' form – this will specify what activities they can undertake on your, or your company’s behalf. You can also make changes to your account using the forms below.

Forms:

• Declaration of Included Persons (this can also be completed online once you have a client login)

• Details of Authorised Personnel

• Details of Authorised ERS Personnel

• Application for Pre-Payment Exemption

Once you have a Fishserve Client Number, you can then apply (online or using the forms below) for a permit to fish. You must have a fishing permit to commercially catch fish.

Forms:

• Application for a Fishing Permit         

• Application for Re-issue of a Fishing Permit         

• Application for a High Seas Fishing Permit          

• High Seas Fishing Permit SPRFMO Questionnaire

All vessels engaged in commercial fishing need to be registered. Once you have your Fishserve client number you can register your vessel online or use the forms below – there are different forms for different sized vessels and foreign-owned vessels. 

Forms:

• Application to Register a Vessel 28m and Under

• Application to Register a Vessel Over 28 Metres

• Application to Register a Notified User of a Vessel (not available online)

• Application to Register a Foreign-Owned Vessel  

• Application to Register Vessel on WCPFC Vessel Register (only available online)

• Application to Take Fish Otherwise Than From a Vessel (FOTFAV) (not available online)

Under Aotearoa New Zealand fisheries regulations all fishing vessels (including foreign licenced vessels) need to have a working Global Position Reporting (GPR) device that meets the Fisheries Geospatial Position Reporting Regulations 2017.  

Any commercial fisher operating without a vessel still requires a GPR and needs to use a mobile GPR device. 

A mobile GPR can also be moved from one vessel to another. For devices shared between vessels, they must be registered to the operator of the vessel/s and each vessel that is to use the mobile GPR must be linked within the vessel's registration details. 

Under the fisheries regulations all GPR’s, whether fixed to a fishing vessel or mobile need to be registered through Fishserve. Registration can be done online or using the forms below.

Forms:

• Application to Register a Geospatial Position Reporting Device (GPR) Against a Vessel

• Geospatial Position Reporting Device Supplier Declaration

• Application to Register a Mobile Geospatial Position Reporting Device (GPR) (only available online)