South Island recreational blue cod (Parapercis colias) fisheries are monitored by Fisheries New Zealand using potting surveys. This report describes the results of the blue cod potting survey carried out off Motunau in North Canterbury during January 2024 – as well as for three previous surveys (2012, 2016, 2020). Estimates are provided for population abundance, size structure from fish length, and age structure from otoliths (ear bones collected for ageing), as well as population sex ratio, total mortality, and fishing mortality. In 2024 the sex ratio was 74% male, and the estimated fishing mortality was nearly four times the target reference level indicating that overfishing is occurring. Survey mean catch rates showed a progressive decline over time, dropping by 66% between 2012 and 2024. The sex ratio over the four surveys was dominated by males with no trend (i.e., 72–76% male). Fishing pressure has been concentrated on just a few older ages, and was considerably higher than the target reference for all the previous surveys.
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