Fishermen in Marlborough are being asked to play their part in a new tracking programme aimed at preserving kingfish numbers in an area where the fish have been rediscovered.
The Fishing Paper editor Daryl Crimp is calling for anglers who fish kingfish for sport to help tag the fish for research.
Thousands of the fish have been found around d'Urville Island and Stephens Island by Marlborough fishermen using new technology including the internet, GPS and fish finders, which determine what fish are near the boat.
"The fish have been down there forever; it's just now [fishermen] are getting better at targeting them," he said. "Fifty years ago, we didn't need technology like this because fish were so abundant."
Being able to find fish more accurately could create a problem, because over-fishing would have a large impact on fish numbers.
The information from the tags would add to Ministry of Fisheries data and help research into long-term trends, including migration patterns and fish numbers, he said.
If fishermen did not take more responsibility about the number of fish they caught, Marlborough was in danger of history repeating, he said, referring to the four-year ban on recreational fishing of blue cod put in place in 2008.
"What that [blue cod] taught us is that those resources aren't infinite, and we don't want that to happen again."
Marine supplies retailer Hendersons Ltd spokesman John Baker said the company often sold fishing gear to people who actively targeted kingfish. The Blenheim company was keen to be part of the tagging programme and would be shown how the tagging process worked either today or tomorrow, he said.
The company would eventually have the tags and instructions available for people wanting to take part in the research.
Avid Blenheim fisherman Edward Durrheim said he fished for kingfish as often as he could around Stephens Island.
On his last trip, about 14 other boats were around the island and most would have been looking for kingfish, he said.
Mr Durrheim caught the fish more for sport than the dinner table and said it was a resource worth protecting.
"They're one of the strongest fish in the ocean and they put up a hard but short fight," he said.
"It's all about the challenge, really."
CATCH OF THE DAY: Daryl Crimp wants other fishermen to help tag kingfish for research and to keep stock numbers steady.
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