Calls for recreational fishermen to pay an annual licensing fee in order to protect our fish stocks.

A report from the New Zealand Initiative suggests our growing population and booming tourism industry are putting pressure on stocks.

It says more funding is needed to protect the industry, and a number of levies should be considered - including having fishermen and recreational boaties pay a fee of up to $20 a year.

Ted Howard, from the New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council, told Nadine Higgins the ideas won't be popular.

"They're politically impossible ideas. Part of the Kiwi psyche is that we don't particularly like being regulated.

"They're about a million recreational fishers in New Zealand and we like to have a little bit of freedom. The ocean is basically the last place where we have that."

The reports also suggests petrol taxes paid by boaties should be filtered back into initiatives to protect fish stocks.

LISTEN ABOVE TO TED HOWARD SPEAK TO NADINE HIGGINS ON EARLY EDITION