Kahawai (also known as Sea Trout, Australian Salmon) in New Zealand (FMA1 — Auckland & northeast). Minimum legal size, daily bag limit, possession limit — verified against the Fisheries New Zealand guide, 2026.
In New Zealand (FMA1 — Auckland & northeast), Kahawai has no minimum legal size and the daily bag limit is 20 finfish combined (no separate per-species limit — see notes). There is no closed season in NZ.
No closed season
Kahawai has no minimum legal size and no individual daily sub-limit in the Auckland & Kermadec area — it is capped only by the combined daily limit of 20 finfish per person (which since 5 May 2022 includes all finfish). Kahawai are superb smoked or used as bait; bleed them on capture for the best table fish.
These limits are pulled from the Fisheries New Zealand recreational fishing rules (Auckland & Kermadec area). Last verified June 2026.
Always check the official guide before keeping any fish. Regulations change. Fisheries New Zealand (Tini a Tangaroa), Ministry for Primary Industries updates its guide annually and occasionally mid-year. Fines for over-bag or undersized fish are significant.
New Zealand does not require any licence to fish recreationally in the sea — saltwater fishing is open to everyone, subject to the size, bag and method rules. A licence from Fish & Game New Zealand is required only to fish for freshwater sports fish (trout and salmon).
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen has fished his whole life. Fifteen years of fly fishing, guiding seasons on Norway's Lakselva — his favourite Atlantic salmon river — and a blue marlin landed in Vava'u, Tonga. Founder of Fishare — the app that puts the data behind the decisions every angler makes on the water.
Fishare tracks your home spots and pings you when the next 3-hour peak window opens. Log catches and blanks to teach the model your local patterns. The forecast, saved spots and catch log stay free, forever.
Open Fishare