The State of New Zealand's Fisheries

In New Zealand, setting and adjusting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and/or Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACCs) to limit annual catches is the primary mechanism for managing our fisheries. This is generally thought to be the most effective management method worldwide. The rationale for setting and varying TACs is specified in our Fisheries Act (1996) which states that fisheries must be managed so that fish stocks¹ are maintained at or above the biomass associated with the maximum sustainable yield (MSY).

There is currently sufficient information to characterise stock status relative to MSY-compatible targets for 117 of the 628 fish stocks in the QMS (see table 1 below). This represents a net increase of 16 stocks (15.8 percent) over the 101 stocks of known status a year ago. Stocks of known status now account for 72 percent of the total landings by weight and value – up from 66 percent last year – and represent most of the main commercial species².

Of the 117 stocks or sub-stocks with known status relative to target reference points, 79 (68 percent) have been determined to be near or above target levels based on a recent assessment or evaluation. The 38 stocks that are known to be below their respective targets include two highly migratory species (over which New Zealand has limited influence), several orange roughy stocks, black cardinalfish, gemfish, Foveaux Strait oysters (due at least in part to disease), two rock lobster stocks, Tasman Bay and Golden Bay scallops, three paua stocks, all bluenose stocks, west coast North Island snapper, several other smaller inshore stocks and longfin eels (for further details see the Status of Stocks page on www.fish.govt.nz ).

Just because a stock is below its MSY-compatible target, it does not mean that the stock is being fished unsustainably. Fish stocks can and have been fished sustainably for long periods of time in many parts of the world while at levels well below MSY-compatible levels. Of greater relevance to sustainability concerns is how far the stock is below the target, and how intensely it is being fished.

The Harvest Strategy Standard defines two biomass limits that should be avoided: a soft limit and a hard limit. Essentially, the soft limit is half of the MSY-compatible biomass or 20 percent of the unfished biomass, whichever is higher; while the hard limit is a quarter of the MSY-compatible biomass or 10 percent of the unfished biomass, whichever is higher. A stock that is below the soft limit is said to be depleted or overfished, while one that is below the hard limit is said to be collapsed. Where the fishing pressure is too high (fishing mortality greater than the MSY-compatible level), overfishing is said to be occurring.

A number of different actions are being taken to rebuild stocks that are below target levels or depleted or collapsed, with the magnitude of the action being commensurate with the status of the stock.

• Fisheries for two of the orange roughy stocks have essentially been closed for several years, with a third fishery being closed in 2007. A fourth consecutive year of continued TACC reductions has been proposed for the main Chatham Rise orange roughy stock.
  
• The Tasman Bay scallop fishery has been closed to commercial fishing since 2006.
  
• Bluenose stocks were identified as being in need of rebuilding in May 2008, and quota reductions have subsequently been adopted.
  
• Staged TACC reductions have been proposed for black cardinalfish.
  
• TACCs for two rock lobster stocks were reduced for the season beginning in April 2009. Rebuilding programmes or TAC/TACC reductions have been put in place for all other depleted stocks. These interventions are evidence of New Zealand’s willingness to take action as needed to effectively manage our fisheries.

Rebuilding programmes or TAC/TACC reductions have been put in place for all other depleted stocks. These interventions are evidence of New Zealand’s willingness to take action as needed to effectively manage our fisheries.

Table 1: The number and percent of fish stocks assessed or evaluated in recent years up to 2009 in terms of whether or not they are near or above target levels (with comparable values for the 2008 year in parentheses); depleted, or collapsed, and whether or not overfishing is occurring. The number of stocks with sufficient information to make these determinations varies.

A concrete example of the success of recent rebuilding efforts is supplied by the western hoki stock, which began to decline below target levels around the year 2001 and was approaching a depleted or overfished state during the period 2003–06. As a result, the hoki TACC has been substantially reduced in several stages over the last few years – from 250,000 tonnes in 2000 to 90,000 tonnes in 2007. The latest stock assessment which was finalised in May 2009 indicates that the stock has now rebuilt to within the target range. A TACC increase has accordingly been proposed for the next fishing year.

It is difficult to directly compare the summary statistics on stock status for the current year with those from previous years. The 2007/08 Annual Report indicated that of the 101 stocks for which we had sufficient information to characterise stock status related to target levels, 72 were near or above target levels. Following the relatively large number of stock assessments undertaken in 2008/09, the total number of stocks with sufficient information has increased substantially, while the percentage below target levels has increased by 3 percent. The main reasons for the increase in the percentage below target levels are that recent stock assessments for several stocks have changed the stock status from a favourable or unknown categorisation to an unfavourable categorisation, and that the assessment information for some stocks is too out-of-date for their current status to be characterised.

There are limited human and financial resources to be able to collect extensive information on all 628 fish stocks currently in the QMS. As a result, our research budget is prioritised so that we focus on the stocks with the highest landings or value, or those with potential sustainability risks.

Fisheries stock assessments

Scientific research is critical for underpinning sound fisheries management decisions. In 2008/09, the Ministry’s fisheries direct research budget was $17.5 million, excluding biodiversity research. This research supported data collection, monitoring and stock assessment programmes for several middle-depth, deepwater, inshore, non-commercial, and Antarctic stocks. It also included important developments on the effects of fishing on the environment. Progress was made on increasing the number of assessed stocks and the amount of information available to managers and stakeholders to make informed fisheries management decisions.

The 2008/09 programmes built on previous research to provide new stock assessments or evaluations for hoki, ling, orange roughy, oreo, tarakihi, gurnard, trevally, rock lobster, and oyster stocks. New trawl survey estimates of relative biomass provided additional information on the trends in stock size for several inshore species.

Two Plenary documents, summarising catch histories, fisheries characteristics, biology and stock status, were produced: one for rock lobster, Antarctic toothfish, and highly migratory species in November 2008, and another for 81 different species in May 2009.

As a result, TAC changes were proposed for hoki, ling, southern blue whiting, orange roughy, oreo, cardinal fish, gurnard, john dory, elephant fish, and rock lobster stocks. Except for some orange roughy, cardinal fish, and rock lobster stocks, all proposed TAC changes were increases.

Aquatic Environment, Biodiversity and Antarctic Research

The Biodiversity and the Antarctic Research Programmes have both benefited from the analysis phase of the IPY-CAML (International Polar Year – Census of Antarctic Marine Life) project which is generating some startling new findings about biodiversity and fisheries in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. New families of organisms, and new species have been discovered and comparison of genetic data from other IPY surveys is providing new understanding about circumpolar connectivity between different parts of the Southern Ocean. New data to estimate silverfish (which underpins the Ross Sea food web) biomass and rattail (bycatch) biomass have been estimated for the first time, and data to assess the footprint of long-line fishing as well as comprehensive bio-regionalisation in the Ross Sea are now possible for the first time.

This year also saw the completion of a three-year project on quantifying the trophic (feeding) relationships among key fish species on the Chatham Rise. This fishery-scale feeding study is the first of its kind in New Zealand and will be used to assist in identifying the effects of large scale fish removals on the ecosystem.

The Biodiversity research programme has also initiated a new five-year work plan to progress our understanding of climate change effects on productivity in our oceans and to improve monitoring of the marine environment. This links to two studies completed this year through the Aquatic Environment programme that identify fishery trends and environment trends in relation to climate variables. The aim is to identify trends and patterns of change that impact on fish stocks and the aquatic environment.

Ocean Survey 20/20

The Bay of Islands is the focus for the third Ocean Survey 20/20 project, which began earlier this year. Phase 1 has been completed and Phase 2 is now underway.

The first phase ran from 12 October to 22 November 2008 and involved surveys of an extensive area within and outside the Bay of Islands. The second phase comprises a biological survey to map the biodiversity of the area.

The Bay of Islands project is one of the most comprehensive surveys of the coastal waters of New Zealand to be undertaken. This baseline data will be of value to government and local authorities, and to the public in weighing up competing demands on the coastal environment.

The Ministry has been involved in all three Ocean Survey projects to date. We had a lead role in the first two of these:

• a comparison of the relative productivity and biodiversity of the Challenger Plateau and the Chatham Rise
  
• a Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) survey during International Polar Year (IPY).
  

South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation – bottom impact assessments

All participants in South Pacific bottom fisheries currently involved in negotiations for a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) are required to prepare and submit assessments of whether their bottom fishing activities would have significant adverse impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems. They must also ensure that fishing activities are managed to prevent such impacts.

New Zealand has implemented a range of interim management measures for its high-seas bottom trawl fishery, including 100 percent scientific observer coverage, restriction of fishing to within historically fished areas, closure of 41 percent of the historic bottom trawl ‘footprint’ to trawling, and a move-on rule in a further 30 percent of the footprint to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems which may be encountered.

In addition, New Zealand prepared and tabled a first draft Bottom Fishery Impact Assessment Standard for consideration and eventual adoption by the SPRFMO Scientific Working Group, to guide the preparation and review of future deepwater fishery impact assessments.

Science Outreach – getting the message across

Substantial progress on improving accessibility to technical information has been made this year. The Status of the Stocks section of the Fisheries Assessment Plenary has had a complete makeover to make the scientific assessments of fish stocks and the certainty of the results clearer and more useful to fisheries managers and stakeholders. A searchable database of the Ministry’s Fishery Assessment Reports and Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Reports is now available on our website. A documentary of the IPY-CAML (International Polar Year – Census of Antarctic Marine Life) voyage to the Ross Sea was also released this year.

1. Each of the 96 species of fish in the QMS is divided into several fish stocks based on management areas or biological considerations.

2. This excludes squid, which has a life cycle that is not amenable to management relative to maximum sustainable yield benchmarks.