Greater protection is being proposed for sea cucumber off the east coast of the South Island.
There is strong demand in China for the delicacy, and a number of Maori organisations have been growing them.
But the Ministry of Primary Industry says they are being ripped off the ocean floor by trawlers and dredgers and is proposing increasing financial penalties for sea cucumber bycatch, to reflect its market price.
The move recognises that sea cucumber fisheries are valuable, and that they can be sold overseas for good money.
Trawlers catching regular fish species are encouraged to return live sea cucumber to the water, so long as they are likely to survive.
The ministry says sea cucumber fisheries worldwide have been shown to be highly susceptible to overfishing.
Its running a public consultation process on the issue on its website.
