species (yellowtail and greenback jack mackerels), and the Chilean jack mackerel that periodically

arrives in New Zealand waters from the wider South Pacific. Although catch limits are set for the

species group, the abundance of each species must be monitored separately.

 

Off the west of New Zealand (JMA 7), jack mackerels are caught by a midwater trawl fishery with

target fishing focussed in the Taranaki Bight. Observer sampling information allows the catches of the

three species to be separated. Greenback jack mackerel currently make up about 80% of the catch, with

yellowtail jack mackerels most of the remainder.

 

As part of its management within the Quota Management System, jack mackerel abundance in JMA 7

is monitored using catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) from the midwater trawl fishery. In this report, this

information is given for 1990 to 2024.

 

Both greenback and yellowtail jack mackerels were likely to be at or above target levels in 2024. In the

case of greenback jack mackerels, the assessment is considered to apply to the species in both the

JMA 3 and JMA 7 areas as there are indications they are a single population.

 

Document date
Monday, 9 March 2026

Document type
V 1.3

File format
Adobe PDF

File size
2.8 MB

Reference number
2026/08

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AUTHOR: Middleton, D.A.J.;

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