Species Requiring A Licence

You need a Fish & Game licence to fish or hunt the following species in New Zealand.

Sports Fish:

The Freshwater Fisheries Regulations 1983 Schedule 1 defines the following species as “sports fish”:

• Brown trout (Salmo trutta):
• Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, formerly known as Salmo gairdneri):
• American brook trout or char (Salvelinus fontinalis):
• Lake trout or char (Salvelinus namaycush):
• Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar):
• Quinnat or chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha):
• Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka):
• Perch (Perca fluviatilis):
• Tench (Tinca tinca):
• Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) found or taken in the Auckland Acclimatisation District—

and includes any hybrid and the young, fry, ova, and spawn, and any part of any such fish; but does not include salmon preserved in cans and imported into New Zealand.

Game Birds:

The Wildlife Act 1953 schedule 1 defines the following species as wildlife declared to be game birds:

• Black swan (Cygnus atratus) (except on Chatham Islands)
• Chukar (Alectoris chukar): except on Chatham Islands
• Duck:
  
  • Australasian shoveler (Anas rhynchotis)
  • Grey duck (Anas superciliosa) and any cross of that species with any other species, variety, or kind of duck (except on Chatham Islands).
  • Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) and any cross of that species with any other species, variety, or kind of duck (except on Chatham Islands).
• Paradise shelduck (Tadorna variegata)
• Partridge:
  
  • Grey partridge (Perdix perdix): except on Chatham Islands
  • Red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa rufa): except on Chatham Islands
  • Pheasant—
    
    • any bird, not being a domestic bird, of the genus Phasianus and any cross of any such bird with any other species, variety, or kind of pheasant: except on Chatham Islands
  • Pukeko (Porphyrio melanotus) (except on Chatham Islands).
  • Quail—
    
    • Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus): except on Chatham Islands
    • Brown quail (Coturnix ypsilophora): except on Chatham Islands
    • California quail (Callipepla californica): except on Chatham Islands