There could also be new rules on where cod potting, longlines and setlines could be used in the increasingly well-used fishery.
Fiordland Marine Guardians chairwoman Dr Rebecca McLeod said when designing rules for Fiordland one challenge was recognising recreational fishers fell into two distinct camps.
It was incumbent on Fisheries New Zealand to apply rules to these two types of recreational fishers that did not penalise or prioritise one group over the other.
"There’s the people that take their own boats in, or fish off the wharf, or whatever they may do, and then people that go on charter boats - that’s probably one of the main ways people go into Fiordland. They fish to the same rules as someone that goes in on their own boat," Dr McLeod said.
"You’ve got people in there operating these businesses that can run right through the year, and they are getting increasingly popular, and they may have 10 or 15 people on their boat who can all fish to those same limits as one individual can.
"Collectively, they can have quite a large impact.
"The charter operators are aware of this and have taken sort of voluntary steps to try and ensure they are not placing too much impact on the place, but we think it’s time for some of those rules to become ... not voluntary any more."
Late last month, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking approved recommendations from the Fiordland Marine Guardians for the area, following public consultation.
Those changes were about working to shift the mindsets of fishers to "fish for a feed" rather than fill the freezer, as well as encouraging people to fish in more productive parts of Fiordland, the outer coast areas.
However, Dr McLeod said through that consultation period, feedback was received that identified further steps ought to be taken.
The newly proposed amendments had been discussed but had not been included in the initial consultation, she said.
"We just thought those ideas had merit and quite clearly, quite a bit of public support."
A new round of consultation was launched this week that shifted the focus from individual fishers to larger fishing parties going out together. The recreational boat limit for Fiordland was proposed to be four times the daily species and combined bag limits.
There were also proposed restrictions on bulk harvesting methods, that would affect vessels that put in gear that continued to fish while the fisher was off "doing something else".
There had been anecdotal evidence of pressure on the fishery and there had been an evident increase in the number of fishers in the area, she said.
The guardians knew that the number of fish being taken by charter boats was increasing, but there was a lack of data about the number of fish being taken by individuals arriving on their own.
In the 1990s, the dire state of the rock lobster fishery brought the guardians group together, but rock lobsters had recovered in the area remarkably well.
Blue cod, groper (hapuka) and paua were targeted and were in trouble inside the fiords.
Scallops, like elsewhere, were all but gone, Dr McLeod said.
Established in 2005, the Fiordland Marine Guardians provide advice and recommendations to central and local government on managing the Fiordland Marine Area.
