Aggregations of spawning hoki were surveyed in Cook Strait, and off the east coast South Island (ECSI), in Pegasus Canyon and Conway Trough. The surveys were carried out from 23 July to 4 September 2025 using the fishing vessel Rakaia.

 

A calibrated scientific echosounder was used to complete the surveys. Six acoustic surveys, or snapshots, of the main Cook Strait spawning grounds were completed between 23 July and 24 August 2025. Six snapshots of Pegasus Canyon were completed from 13 August to 4 September, and two snapshots of Conway Trough on 14 and 25 August 2025.

 

Hoki schools were found in the main Cook Strait Canyon, in the deepwater southeast of the main Cook Strait Canyon, Terawhiti Sill, Nicholson Canyon, and in Pegasus Canyon and Conway Trough.

 

The estimated average abundance of hoki for Cook Strait in 2025 was 124 000 t. This was more than double the estimate from the previous survey in 2023 (58 000 t).

 

The average abundance estimate of hoki for Pegasus Canyon in 2025 was 145 000 t, which was higher than that from the 2023 survey (102 000 t), and the highest estimate in the time series of acoustic surveys of spawning hoki for Pegasus Canyon. 

 

The average abundance of hoki for Conway Trough in 2025 was 38 000 t. This was higher than the estimate from the 2023 survey, and the highest estimate in the time series of acoustic surveys of spawning hoki for Conway Trough.

 

Document date
Thursday, 10 September 2026

Document type
V 1.3

File format
Adobe PDF

File size
1.9 MB

Reference number
2026/33

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AUTHOR: Escobar-Flores, P.C.; Ballara, S.L.; O’Driscoll, R.L.;

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