Greenweight conversion

‘Greenweight’ is the weight of any fish, aquatic life or seaweed before any processing commences.

In overseas jurisdictions, greenweight is sometime referred to as ‘roundweight’ or ‘liveweight’.

In New Zealand, under the Fisheries Act 1996, all references to the weight of fish must be in greenweight. When commercial fishers complete monthly harvest returns to report on their catch, the weights they record must be in greenweight.

Where fish are processed into landed states – such as headed and gutted, dressed or fillets – it is necessary to use conversion factors. This is a ratio that converts the processed weight of the fish back to greenweight. Conversion factors are usually set on the basis of sampling data that is collected by Ministry of Fisheries observers working on board deepwater factory vessels.

The conversion factors are made public through the New Zealand Gazette, the newspaper of the New Zealand Government that is published each week.