New Fish Stock Enters The QMS Today

1 April 2003

Another fish stock was introduced into the Quota Management System (QMS) today (1 April 2003). The Chatham Island scallop stock now joins three other scallop stocks managed within the QMS: the Coromandel stock was introduced on 1 April 2002, the Northern stock was introduced on 1 April 1996, and the Southern stock was introduced on 1 April 1992.

In 2001, the Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) set a target of introducing around 50 more species into the QMS by 2004. On 1 October 2002, 10 commercially caught species were introduced into the QMS, including paddle crab, butterfish, blue mackerel, queen scallops, cockles (Snake Bank, in Whangarei Harbour), anchovy, pilchard, garfish, sprats and kina (South Island and Chatham Islands).

New species to be introduced into the QMS on 1 October 2003 include longfin and shortfin eels (Chatham Islands), kina (North Island), kingfish, leatherjacket and rough and smooth skates. Further species will be introduced into the QMS on 1April 2004 and 1 October 2004.

MFish National Fisheries Management Manager Mike Arbuckle said by creating individual property rights through the QMS that could be bought or sold, and by limiting the exploitation of the fisheries resource to sustainable levels, MFish had created a stable and relatively certain environment for commercial fishers, which remains unique in the world.

Since the QMS was established, most stocks in which biomass and productivity data were well known are now above sustainable levels. In 1986, 27 species or groups of species were introduced into the QMS. At this time more than 56 species or species complexes are managed within the QMS.