Fisheries Management

Hāpuku-Bass plenary. FNZ. May 2020

Plenary document outlining known facts and catch statistics for hāpuku and bass fish stocks in New Zealand. Fisheries New Zealand. May 2020

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Defining and estimating global marine fisheries bycatch. 2009

Marine Policy Paper. Bycatch is defined as catch that is either unused or unmanaged. Globally, bycatch represents 40.4% of all marine catch. NZ’s bycatch is estimated to be around 24.6% of all marine catch per year. Davies et al.

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Fisheries Plenary Vol 3. Stock status. MPI. May 2020

Fisheries Assessment Plenary. Stock assessments and stock status. Volume 3. Red cod to yellow-eyed mullet. MPI. May 2020.

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Fisheries Plenary Vol 2. Stock status. MPI. May 2020

Fisheries Assessment Plenary. Stock assessments and stock status. Volume 2. Hoki to redbait. MPI. May 2020

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Fisheries Plenary Vol 1. Stock status. MPI. May 2020

Fisheries Assessment Plenary. Stock assessments and stock status. Volume 1. Alfonsino to Hake. May 2020.

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Map. NZ Trawl footprint 2008 to 2012. MPI

A heat map showing the trawl footprint around New Zealand for the years 2007/08 to 2011/12. Five years of data. Per square kilometre. Source: Ministry for Primary Industries.

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Report. Review of MPI operations. M.Heron QC. 15 Sept 2016

In May 2016 the Ministry for Primary Industries commissioned Michael Heron QC to carry out an independent review of three fisheries compliance operations and associated prosecution decisions. Those were Operations Achilles, Hippocamp and Overdue. The report is dated 15 September 2016. Please follow the link to download the full report.

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Article. Research into toheroa depletion. March 2019

Article on Stuff. Toheroa was a favourite NZ seafood delicacy of the 1900s. It was vastly over-caught and harvesting was banned in the 1970s. In the decades since it has not recovered. Researchers seem to think there are multiple reasons why toheroa are not abundant now. 4 March 2019.

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Article. Dire outlook for South Island scallops. Oct 2012

Where have all the scallops gone? Interviews with commercial fishers, researchers and locals discussing the depletion of scallops in Golden and Tasman Bays at the top of the South Island. Article on Stuff. 2 October 2012.

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Article. Orange roughy fishery collapse continues. 6 July 2010

Officials admit that the orange roughy fishery on the Chatham Rise – an area between the South Island and Chatham Islands – is continuing to collapse. Fish numbers continue to decline despite a rebuild strategy. Further cuts to catches will be applied and stock monitoring will continue. Stuff article. 6 July 2010.

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Media release. Inquiry after collapse of the hoki fishery. 26 Sep 2018

Greenpeace says the collapse of the West Coast hoki fishery demonstrates why we need an independent inquiry into New Zealand’s failing fisheries management system. This comes after fishing companies revealed they were struggling to catch fish in the hoki fishery off the west coast of the South Island. Greenpeace New Zealand. 26 September 2018

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Article. The fortunes of fishing. NZ Geo. Oct 1997

New Zealand Geographic investigates the world of commercial fishing from Mangonui in the north and down to Westport. In the ups and downs of fishing there is no doubt the Quota Management System has some serious flaws. It has been particularly hard on small-scale operators and their families. New Zealand Geographic. October 1997

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Moyle’s Promise. Minister of Fisheries 1989.

Moyle’s Promise. A message from the Minister of Fisheries, Colin Moyle. In this letter the Minister states that when a species of fish cannot sustain both commercial and non-commercial fishing, preference will be given to non-commercial fishing. Non-commercial fishing includes Måori customary and recreational interests. June 1989

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Article. NZ’s paua industry and climate change. 18 Jul 2016

There is worldwide concern about how climate change and acidification of marine waters will affect shellfish. A new international study suggests commercial farming of shellfish will not be viable by 2100. This article from Stuff looks into New Zealand’s paua industry and its prospects. 18 July 2016.

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Report. Analysis of potential rebuilds in eastern tarakihi. BERL. Aug 2018

A report for the Ministry for Primary Industries on the outcomes from applying various rebuild strategies to the east coast tarakihi fishery. BERL developed five different rebuild scenarios to project the impact on the stock over a 20 year period. Report by BERL for MPI. August 2018.

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Report. Oceanic whitetip shark. NIWA. June 2014

Review of commercial fishery interactions and population dynamics for the oceanic whitetip shark , a protected species in NZ waters. Report by Francis & Lyon. Prepared for Department of Conservation. June 2014.

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Letter. Recreational interests urge Ministerial caution in tarakihi decisions. 31 Aug 2018

The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council-LegaSea and the New Zealand Angling & Casting Association letter to the Minister of Fisheries, Stuart Nash, ahead of his 2018 decision regarding catch reductions for the east coast tarakihi fishery. Letter dated 31 August 2018. Over 8000 people had supported a campaign calling on the Minister to be bold […]

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Article. Fundamental problems in NZ’s fisheries management. Mar 2018

The health of our marine ecosystem, its resilience in the face of global climate change, and effectiveness of our fisheries management are profoundly compromised by the processes used to assess stocks and set total catch limits. Professor Steve Dawson, Head of Marine Science at Otago University, explores key issues regarding fisheries management in New Zealand […]

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Article. Failed fisheries management system costing NZ. 15 June 2017

World leading academics critique New Zealand’s Quota Management System. The team of fisheries experts have debunked the claim that NZ has a world leading system for sustainably managing fisheries. Glen Simmons, Nigel Haworth and Liz Slooten et al. Article on the University of Auckland website. 15 June 2017.

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Article. Evidence of bias in fisheries assessments. Slooten. 20 Jun 2017

Twelve experts say there is evidence of bias in a recent assessment of fisheries management practices in New Zealand. Letter to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS). 20 June 2017.

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Research. The NZ recreational billfish economy 2000 to 2001. Sep 2002

Analysis of the economic contribution of the New Zealand recreational billfish fishery in 2000 to 2001. Report for NZ Marine Research Foundation. Prepared by Kingett Mitchell, AC Nielson and Blue Water Marine Research. September 2002. The recreational marlin fishery in New Zealand is unique in that there are accurate club records for at least 95% […]

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Report. Fishing, aquaculture and seafood industry insights. Westpac. 30 Mar 2016

Westpac report the fishing, aquaculture and seafood sector is experiencing falling employment, lacklustre long-term export revenue growth, and increasing challenges over fish allocations. There is strong growth potential in new techniques such as Precision Seafood Harvesting and value add. The social licence to operate is under scrutiny and more needs to be done to show […]

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Research. Future of Fisheries. Horizon Research. Jan 2019

A summary of the results of a survey to measure peoples’ views on the management and future of New Zealand’s inshore and offshore marine fisheries. Report by Horizon Research. January 2019. The survey found large numbers of New Zealanders are significantly unaware of key facts about the fisheries and ways in which they are managed. […]

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Article. Is commercial fishing sustainable? Stuff. 4 Dec 2016

Kiwis love their fish but questions are arising over the sustainability of the product available in store. Questions are also being asked around the validity of the Marine Stewardship Council’s tick of approval. Stuff. 4 December 2016.

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Article. The good and the bad about FADs. Blaha. Jun 2018

Francisco Blaha discusses some pros and cons related to Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). He reports that around 50% of canned tuna comes from skipjack caught with the aid of FADs. Concerns with the use of FADs include the amount of unintended and unwanted catch that is caught along with the target species. This catch is […]

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Article. Houhora residents want harbour closed to commercial fishing. Jul 2014

Residents are tired of Houhora harbour being depleted by commercial fishing. Their concerns have been ignored by the government. The Northland residents are calling for the harbour to be given official recreational status. NZ Herald/Northland Age. 8 July 2014.

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Media release. Voices from the sea book published. EDS. 10 Apr 2018

The Environmental Defence Society has released a book, Voices from the Sea. This is an in-depth investigation into New Zealand’s fisheries management system. The book concludes that inshore fisheries need a radical shake up. EDS. 10 April 2018. For those wanting to better understand how commercial fishing operates in NZ under the Quota Management System, […]

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Article. Bottom trawling for orange roughy has scientists worried. May 2018

Orange roughy are a slow-growing species found in a vulnerable deep sea ecosystem. Bottom trawling these fish has serious implications. There are particular concerns for orange roughy that live in the high seas, the area outside New Zealand’s territorial waters and beyond Australia’s waters. Fishing in these depths has scientists and conservationists worried. Article for […]

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Resource. Summary of digital monitoring of commercial fishing. FNZ. 4 Mar 2020

Fisheries New Zealand summary of the digital monitoring of commercial fishing in New Zealand waters. Summary includes information on how digital technologies are contributing to the tracking, reporting and monitoring of commercial fishing. 4 March 2020.

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Article. NZ’s biggest fishing companies under-reporting hoki catch. 24 May 2016

A leaked report reveals New Zealand’s commercial fishing companies are under-reporting their catches. Doubts have been raised about the sustainability of these fisheries and practices after revelations about widespread dumping of catches. Greenpeace released the report written by the Ministry of Fisheries in 2011. NZ Herald article. 24 May 2016.

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Article. The stink of rotten fish. NZ Geographic. 2016

Dave Hansford investigates the illegal fishing practices and corruption occurring under a broken fisheries management system in New Zealand. This article includes revelations about widespread illegal fishing, highlighting the failure of free market policy to protect New Zealand’s environment and common assets. New Zealand Geographic. 2016.

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Article. Crayfish ‘functionally extinct’ in the Hauraki Gulf. 31 Aug 2016

Crayfish numbers are so low in the Hauraki Gulf they are now considered ‘functionally extinct’. The number of crayfish in the Leigh marine reserve are less than that recorded outside the reserve in 1995. Experts are calling for an overhaul of crayfish management. Article for Stuff. 31 August 2016.

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Resource. Catch limits and reported catches from NZ fish stocks. FNZ

Annual reports of catches and allowances in each fish stock within the Quota Management System. Monthly breakdown of commercial data is available for some stocks. Fisheries New Zealand website.

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Research. Maori Fisheries Policy. Horizon Research. June 2019

This report summarises the results of a survey of 1,000 Maori aged 18+ on current and possible fisheries management policies. Report June 2019. The results indicate that an overwhelming majority of Maori think New Zealand’s fisheries need to be reformed. As the survey contained policy ideas, results are also reported by party vote.

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Research. Fisheries Policy. Horizon Research. June 2019

This report summarises the results of a survey of New Zealand adults’ views on current and possible fisheries management policies. Report June 2019. The survey found large numbers of New Zealanders are significantly unaware of key facts about the fisheries and ways in which they are managed. As the survey contained policy ideas, results are […]

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