Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers below to some some common questions about Rescue Fish, fisheries management and LegaSea. If you can't find the answer you are looking for, please contact us here.

Economics


Why do you say that Māori only own around 10.7% of the total quota share value when they actually own more than 40% of all quota?

Independent analysis by the NZ Institute of Economic Research shows that on the information available Māori own around 40% of quota shares (by volume) but only 10.7% of the total quota share value. This is a conservative estimate of iwi ownership and value because not all the relevant details are available; that is understandable given the commercial sensitivity of the information. For Rescue Fish to succeed it was important to work out what a fair exchange might be for those shares if they were bought out by the government. More here on pages 23-26.

How much money does recreational fishing contribute to the New Zealand economy?

The recreational fishing industry contributes a significant amount of money to the New Zealand economy, which in turn supports fisheries management and other government services. Research by the New Zealand Marine Research Foundation in 2016 found that $946 million was spent annually on recreational fishing. This spending generated $1.7 billion dollars in economic activity nationwide and it supported the equivalent of 8,100 full-time jobs. Recreational fishing generates $638 million in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a conservative $188 million in tax revenues annually.

How come there is such a big difference between the export return on fish and the retail price of fish?

The Quota Management System enables quota owners to skim most of the profits from fishing in an uncompetitive market. This means Kiwi consumers can pay up to $40 per kilo for fish in the supermarket while huge quantities of New Zealand's fish are exported for less than $3.00 per kilo.

How much fish is exported?

Until March 2020, around 90% of annual commercial catch was exported. The Covid-19 restrictions have limited exports of fish from March 2020. There is no available data that provides a clear breakdown of exports in terms of the proportions of inshore vs offshore catch.

How much is earned from exporting fish from New Zealand?

In 2018 fish exports were worth around $1.6 billion. Finfish exports were worth around $860 million, the export of molluscs was worth around $390 million and the export of crustaceans including crayfish was worth around $340 million.

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