Labour leader David Shearer got his hands dirty in Parliament brandishing two dead fish as the Government's snapper consultation period enters its final week.

During a discussion about National's controversial snapper quotas, David produced a verbal barrage at Prime Minister John Key using two dead snapper as props.

Labour leader David Shearer in Parliament yesterday.

Friday marks the end of the six-week consultation period on the Ministry of Primary Industries paper outlining three options for snapper regulations in SNA 1 –the fishing region from the Bay of Plenty through the Hauraki Golf to east Northland.

MPIs proposal include reducing bag limits from nine to three, increasing the minimum legal size from 27cm to 35cm, or opting for a combination of the two.

The paper opened up heated debate between recreational and commercial fisherman as to who should be responsible for replenishing the fishery.

When questioned over the Minister for Primary Industries handling of the consultation process, the Prime Minister says Nathan had not briefed Cabinet on the proposals and if he wanted to he could have, but it is okay he did not.

Key says MPI believe recreational fishers could be taking an extra 1000 tonnes on top of the 4600 tonnes known to be taken, and consultations were to stop the depletion rate.

During question time on Tuesday David asked, 'Does he think it's fair that a commercial fisher can catch a snapper as small as 25cm, but a recreational has to go to 36cm. Is that fair?”

He then pulled out the two dead snapper showing the size comparison.

The Prime Minister deflected the comments by instead drawing attention to a political column by Herald writer John Armstrong on the Labour leader's newly appointed chief of staff.

'If she's really advising him to come into Parliament and hang on to dead fish, she's dead as well I reckon.”

Snapper 1 is New Zealand's most popular recreational fishery and is the country's fifth-most-valuable commercial fishery by asset value.

Earlier this week David said the Government must abandon its plans to reduce recreational snapper catch limits, while leaving commercial catches unchanged.

'Catching a feed of snapper for the family is a Kiwi birth right. The Government has sided with big commercial interests over the rights of every New Zealander to go out and fish. It has badly underestimated how strongly people feel about their fishing.

'Everyone agrees we need to ensure snapper stocks are sustainable, but if catches need to be reduced to protect the fishery, commercial operators should share the pain.

A fisherman himself, David cannot see why recreational fishers should be bearing the brunt of the catch reductions.

'Feelings are running high at public meetings we have attended on the issue. And if the Government is getting anything like the same feedback as the Labour Party, it will be throwing its proposals overboard. We certainly will if they are in place when we come into office.”