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Document library
This site contains documents relating to Fisheries New Zealand and predecessors’ funded research from 1988 to the current date. To find the documents applicable to you, please expand the filter and select the relevant search parameters. If you identify errors or inconsistencies in the categorisation of specific documents please advise us by emailing Science Officer.
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2585 items (1 to 50 shown)
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| 2025/41 | 15/09/2025 |
Devine, J.A.; Ballara, S.L.; Wieczorek, A.M. (2025). Trawl survey for middle depth fish species off the west coast South Island, July–August 2024 (TAN2407). New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2025/41. 93 p
A combined trawl-acoustic survey was carried out off the west coast South Island (WCSI) from 21 July to 13 August 2024. It was the 7th trawl survey, targeting primarily hake and ling, and the 12th acoustic survey for hoki.
Estimated ling biomass in 2024 was the lowest of the trawl time series (which started in 2000), while hake biomass has increased since 2016. A total of 242 species or species groups were caught.
The acoustic estimate of hoki biomass was the second lowest of the time series (which started in 1988) but showed an increase since the previous acoustic survey in 2018.
Bottom temperatures have been warming since 2012, mainly in the northern strata. Hake, ling, and hoki appear to have shifted deeper and into cooler water.
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FAR:
2025/41;
AUTHOR:
Devine, J.A.;
Ballara, S.L.;
Wieczorek, A.M.;
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| 365 | 15/09/2025 |
Spyksma, A.J.P. (2025). Summarising and updating knowledge on the distribution of kina barrens in key regions of Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 365. 45 p.
Kelp forests are highly productive ecosystems but are increasingly threatened by overgrazing from sea urchins, creating persistent “urchin barrens.”
In New Zealand, kina is the main urchin barren forming sea urchin, with fishing pressure on predators like snapper and rock lobster considered a key driver of urchin barren formation, particularly in northeastern New Zealand.
Despite widespread reporting of urchin barren habitats there has been no previous efforts to collate urchin barren distribution information across the country.
This study collated 27 data sources to produce a nationwide overview of urchin barren distribution and extent.
Barrens occur throughout the country, with large areas in northeastern New Zealand, Marlborough Sounds, Tasman Bay, Fiordland, and Stewart Island.
Additional aerial imagery mapping revealed barrens along ~36% of northeastern NZ’s rocky coastline, mostly on shallow, nearshore reefs, though estimates are conservative.
The resulting datasets provide a national starting point for future work and will help to inform management, track kelp forest recovery, and sup
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AEBR:
365;
AUTHOR:
Spyksma, A.J.P.;
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| 2025/40 | 26/08/2025 |
Neubauer, P.; Kim, K.; Hill-Moana, T.; Langley, A. (2025). Considering ecosystem aspects when setting management targets for New Zealand’s fisheries: Insights from simulations and application to snapper and gurnard in FMA 7. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2025/40. 62 p.
We studied the implications of managing fish stocks in New Zealand by considering the wider ecosystem, instead of only focusing on individual fish species. We examined snapper and gurnard fisheries in the Tasman Bay Golden Bay areas to see what happens when fishing targets are set higher than traditional levels. Using computer simulations, we tested different management approaches that would leave more fish in the ocean than current practices typically require.
We found that keeping fish populations at higher levels led to more and bigger fish. However, this approach also meant fishers could catch 20 to 45% fewer fish, potentially reducing economic returns. Whether higher fish population targets made economic sense depended strongly on fishing costs—expensive operations benefited because they needed less effort to catch quotas, whereas cheaper operations lost money due to smaller catches.
We showed that snapper and gurnard fisheries are closely connected, with over half of snapper catches happening when boats were declaring gurnard target fishing. Managing one species differently affects the other, showing that it is important to con
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FAR:
2025/40;
AUTHOR:
Neubauer, P.; Kim, K.; Hill-Moana, T.; Langley, A.;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-80-7;
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| 2025/39 | 26/08/2025 |
Neubauer, P.; Kim, K.; Langley, A. (2025). Identifying trade-offs for alternative rebuilding polices: Insights from simulations and application to tarakihi. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2025/39. 82 p.
The present study analysed different rebuilding strategies for depleted fish stocks, considering trade-offs between the recovery of fish populations and socioeconomic impacts that are particularly relevant for fishing communities. The analysis included biological and economic factors under different policies to determine minimum rebuilding times relative to generation time for fish stocks with different life histories. Simulations in this study focused on differences between management approaches and their impact on rebuilding timelines. These simulations included an analysis of risks of specific policies to lead to marked stock reductions during the rebuilding. They were also part of an idealised economic performance analysis that assessed the outcomes of different policies in relation to stock life history characteristics. The findings of this analysis were illustrated in a case study for tarakihi in the coastal waters of New Zealand’s east coast.
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FAR:
2025/39;
AUTHOR:
Neubauer, P.; Kim, K.; Langley, A.;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-79-1;
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| | 26/08/2025 |
This project estimated the size and age of trevally caught in the commercial bottom trawl and modular harvest system bottom trawl fishery along the west coast of New Zealand (TRE 7 quota management area) during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 fishing years.
Samples were collected from four key areas: Ninety Mile Beach; Kaipara-Manukau; North Taranaki Bight; and South Taranaki Bight, to better understand the health of the fish population.
Over 5000 fish were measured, and more than 3200 were aged using their ear bones (otoliths), making this the most detailed study of the TRE 7 fishery to date.
The results showed clear differences between regions. Fish from Ninety Mile Beach were mostly small and young, while South Taranaki Bight had the largest and oldest fish, including some over 20 years old. Kaipara-Manukau and North Taranaki Bight had a mix of sizes and ages, with some fish also reaching over 20 years.
Overall, the average size and age of trevally slightly decreased during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 fishing years compared to previous sampling years due to more young fish being caught, but the presence of strong year classes and older fish is promising. These results are an important input for quantitative stock assessments for TRE 7.
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ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-77-7;
AUTHOR:
Armiger, H.;
Parsons, D.;
Walsh, C.;
Bian, R.;
Buckthought, D.;
Ó Maolagáin, C.;
Evans, O;
Madden, B.;
Bodie, C.;
Barry, F.;
Taylor, R.;
Stead. J.;
Hamill, J.;
Hart, A.;
FAR:
2025/38;
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| 2025/37 | 12/08/2025 |
Existing data sets were used to characterise the activity of the purse seine fishery for small pelagic species that is focused off the northeast of New Zealand. These included catch and effort data from the fishery, and track-line data from both the vessels and their supporting spotter planes.
Incomplete recording—particularly of search effort—currently precludes the development of standardised catch per unit effort (CPUE) series to index the abundance of fish stocks that are primarily caught by purse seining.
Additional data collection that would support a more complete characterisation of the fishery, and may allow the development of CPUE series, is described.
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FAR:
2025/37;
AUTHOR:
Hill-Moana, T.; Neubauer, P.; Middleton, D.A.J.; Vidal, T.; Escalle, L.; Cook, D.;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-76-0;
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| | 29/07/2025 |
The red rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) supports the most valuable inshore commercial fishery in New Zealand. This fishery has been managed with catch quotas in nine Quota Management Areas (QMAs), which are usually treated as independent populations or stocks.
This document describes a stock assessment of red rock lobster in CRA 3 up to the 2023–24 fishing year. This stock assessment suggests that CRA 3 has experienced a period of steep decline in biomass over the past 10–15 years. Declining catch rates over this period corroborates this decline. However, projections suggest that the stock may increase slightly over the next five years.
More concerning is the decline in the number of females in CRA 3 since the early 2000s, evidenced by the depressed catch rate of females in recent years, which now account for less than 25% of the landed catch in terms of numbers of lobsters.
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ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-60-9;
AUTHOR:
Roberts, J.; Webber, D.N.; Rudd, M.B.; Starr, P.J.; Pons, M.;
FAR:
2025/34;
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| | 29/07/2025 |
Alfonsino stocks in the Quota Management System include two related species, but most of the catch is of splendid alfonsio, Beryx splendens, a species that occurs globally but with poorly understood population dynamics.
The New Zealand alfonsino fishery occurs off the southern east coast of the North Island, and on the eastern Chatham Rise, north and south-east of the Chatham Islands. Alfonsino is caught by a mix of bottom and midwater trawling.
Analyses of commercial catch rates have demonstrated that alfonsino abundance trends are different in the four main areas of the fishery. The reasons for the differing trends are not well understood. More extensive biological sampling, aimed at monitoring the age structure of alfonsino in the different areas over time, is recommended.
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ISBN:
978-1-991380-66-1;
AUTHOR:
Middleton, D.A.J.; Tornquist, M.; Neubauer, P.; Hill-Moana, T.;
FAR:
2025/35;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
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| | 29/07/2025 |
This document reports on whether an online panel could be used to recruit fishers to a national harvest survey by marine recreational fishers. These national surveys have been carried out in 2011–12, 2017–18, and 2022–23 using screening for a fisher within a household. The households are sampled using a standard probability-based sampling scheme using Census meshblocks as the first stage of sampling and dwellings within the meshblock as the second stage of sampling. Recruitment like this contributes about half the cost of running a harvest survey. In contrast, market research companies recruit people to online panels typically from reward programmes. This study used a sample of 1000 people from the Omnijet online panel survey run by Verian. Respondents who identified as fishers were asked questions about their fishing behaviour. The demographic characteristics of these fishers and their behaviour was compared to those of the most recent national harvest survey. The online panel sample was materially different from the national harvest survey sample. The conclusions of this study are that in order to be comparable to the previous surveys, an online panel should therefore not be used for recruitment.
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ISBN:
978-1-991380-70-8;
AUTHOR:
Gray, A.G.;
FAR:
2025/36;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
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| 2025/33 | 22/07/2025 |
Mormede, S.; Dunn, A. (2025). Characterisation and spatio-temporal CPUE standardisation of school shark in the NZ EEZ. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2025/33. 67 p.
This study on school shark analysed catch and effort data from 2008 to 2024, using commercial fishing data from three main fishing methods (set nets, bottom trawls, and bottom longlines) to estimate changes in relative abundance at several spatial scales.
The key findings were:
- school shark should be treated as one connected population throughout New Zealand waters;
- school shark numbers appear stable over recent years at about the level of the target reference period (2012–2018);
- school sharks move extensively around New Zealand waters. They were more common on the Chatham Rise and west coast of New Zealand in 2012–2014, but shifted toward the east coast in 2022–2024;
- the fishery has evolved from being mainly set nets (60% of catch in 1990) to a more balanced fishery of set nets, bottom trawls and longlines (about 30–40% each by 2024);
- the spatio-temporal modelling method provides more consistent population estimates than previous techniques, and lets us estimate CPUE indices for the population as whole, as well as regional and CPUE indices as required for management;
- the approach helps resolve conflicts between the CPUE indices estimated from different fishing methods
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FAR:
2025/33;
AUTHOR:
Mormede, S.;
Dunn, A.;
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| | 18/07/2025 |
The snapper fishery in Fisheries Management Area 2 (SNA 2) occurs on the east coast of the North Island, primarily from Hawke Bay to East Cape. Snapper in this area is mainly taken as bycatch in trawling that targets tarakihi or gurnard.
Snapper in the north of the SNA 2 area (north of the Māhia Peninsula) and southern part of the area (mainly Hawke Bay) are separate biological stocks. As part of its management within the Quota Management System, snapper abundance in the north and south of SNA 2 is monitored using catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) from bottom trawl fisheries and, in this report, CPUE series are provided for the period 2002 to 2024, a one-year update from the previous analysis.
Snapper abundance in both the north and south of SNA 2 has increased between 2016 and 2024: by more than three times in the north and by almost eight times in the south. Snapper in the southern area was assessed as Very Likely (> 90%) to be at or above the target level in 2023–24.
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ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-58-6;
AUTHOR:
D.A.J. Middleton;
FAR:
2025/32;
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| | 08/07/2025 |
This report provides an update of the characterisation and catch per unit effort (CPUE) analysis for the blue cod fishery in the BCO 3 area (east coast South Island from Clarence River to Slope Point) up to the end of the 2023–24 (2024) fishing year. Blue cod were caught mainly by cod pot (63% of catch) and bottom trawl (24%), over the last 35 years. The bulk of the landings from cod potting were taken from Statistical Areas 024 (north Otago) and 026 (south Otago), which have contributed 66%, and 20% of the catch respectively, over the 35-year time series. For the last five years, area 026 has become the main contributor, accounting for 56% of the catch compared to 32% from 024. The cod pot vessel fleet has declined by about one half from about 30 to 15 vessels since 2007. CPUE indices (assumed to be proportional to abundance) were estimated using Generalised Linear Models (GLM) run for Statistical Areas 024 and 026, and these fluctuated but generally trended upward, peaking in 2014, before declining steeply. The trends in CPUE were mirrored by the abundance estimates from both the north and south Otago potting surveys over the overlapping period from 2010 to 2022, suggesting that blue cod abundance in the Otago fishery dropped sharply from 2013 to 2018.
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ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-55-5;
AUTHOR:
Beentjes, M.P.;
Bian, R.;
FAR:
2025/31;
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| 363 | 07/07/2025 |
Roberts, J. (2025). Harbour use by Māui/Hector’s dolphin and commercial net fisheries. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 363. 56 p.
This document provides a summary of existing information of the use of West Coast North Island (WCNI) harbours by Māui/Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) and by commercial net fisheries.
Based on this review, Māui/Hector’s dolphins were much more frequently encountered in the coastal domain of the WCNI. By comparison, sightings and acoustic detections in harbour areas were much more infrequent and almost entirely located inside fishing prohibition areas in harbour mouths.
Commercial net fishing effort was described using recent data collected using electronic monitoring, which includes the locations of all reported fishing events. The two main net fishing methods used in WCNI harbours are set-nets and ring-nets, which differ in terms of the gear used and the nature of fishing operations. The overlap of harbour-based set-net effort with the dolphins is likely to be very low. By comparison, the overlap with ring-net fishing with the dolphins is likely to be a little higher in some harbour mouths, although ring-net fishers must attend their gear throughout short deployments, so this method is considered less likely to capture Māui/Hector’s dolphins.
However, several opportunistic sightings of Hector’s and Māui dolphins were
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AEBR:
363;
AUTHOR:
Roberts, J.;
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| 362 | 07/07/2025 |
Mangan, S.; Tait, L.W.; Wing, S.; D’Archino, R.; Neill, K.; Battershill, C.; Schiel, D.R.. (2025). The relationships between macroalgae and New Zealand's wild fisheries, key vulnerabilities and monitoring approaches.
This report reviews key national and international research on the ecological importance of macroalgae, such as kelp, in supporting fisheries in Aotearoa New Zealand. This research shows that macroalgae are important in providing habitat and contributing to coastal food webs, as well as playing a significant role in global carbon cycles. These ecological services contribute to macroalgal habitats that are integral to a number of important fishery species, such as kōura papatea (red rock lobster), pāua, and various finfish and bivalves, resulting in substantial economic contributions. For example, the 13 fisheries that are associated with kelp had a combined asset value of $NZD 5.2 billion in 2019.
But macroalgae are vulnerable to a number of significant stressors including rising temperatures, sedimentation, and kina grazing. To better understand the impacts of these large-scale environmental pressures and support effective monitoring and management, satellite remote sensing has been identified as a valuable tool because it enables the generation of updateable maps showing the extent of large canopy forming kelps. When combined with other monitoring methods, it can aid our understanding of macroalgal dynamics and further contrib
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AEBR:
362;
AUTHOR:
Mangan, S.;
Tait, L.W.;
Wing, S.;
D’Archino, R.;
Neill, K.;
Battershill, C.;
Schiel, D.R.;
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| 361 | 07/07/2025 |
Finucci, B.; Bennion, M.; Chin, C.; Duffy, C.A.J.; Morrison, M.; Struthers, C. (2025). Identification and mapping of habitats of significance for sharks. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 361. 248 p.
The aim of this project was to review existing literature and analyse data to identify areas that may be further identified as a habitat of particular significance (HoPS) for chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and chimaeras). This project proposed 30 HoPS for 20 species of interest: six of the 20 species had at least one potential HoPS for spawning purposes identified and 10 species had at least one suspected potential HoPS identified. There were four species (blue shark, mako, porbeagle, basking shark) where potential HoPS could not be identified. No proposed HoPS is completely closed to fishing, and 22 proposed HoPS are completely open to fishing. All species evaluated here need further information to reduce knowledge gaps. Focal species and areas for future research, and alternative opportunities to collect data are discussed.
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AEBR:
361;
AUTHOR:
Finucci, B.;
Bennion, M.;
Chin, C.;
Duffy, C.A.J.;
Morrison, M.;
Struthers, C.;
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| 364 | 07/07/2025 |
As finfish farming in Aotearoa New Zealand moves further offshore into more open and dynamic marine environments, there is growing concern about how waste from these farms affects the seafloor and the animals that live there. In particular, large shellfish and other seabed-dwelling animals (known as epifauna) play important roles in healthy marine ecosystems, but little is known about how they respond to waste from offshore salmon farms in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This report, part of the Environmental Health Measures for Open Ocean Aquaculture project, aims to better understand these effects by investigating how three key species – the horse mussel (Atrina zelandica), scallop (Pecten novaezelandiae), and a brachiopod or lamp shell (Neothyris lenticularis) – respond to increasing levels of organic waste from salmon farms. We measured a range of physiological responses in these species at different levels of seabed waste and looked at how their responses relate to one another and to current indicators used in salmon farm monitoring.
Key findings
⦁ Statistical analyses show the levels of organic enrichment that cause changes in physiological functioning in the three key species – and possibly early signs of stress.
⦁ Many of the measured responses w
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ISSN:
1179-6480;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-49-4;
AUTHOR:
McMullin R.M.;
McGrath E.C.;
Atalah J.;
AEBR:
364;
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| 2025/30 | 07/07/2025 |
This report describes research conducted in 2022, 2023, and 2024 to determine the age of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii; STN) caught in New Zealand’s surface longline (SLL) fishery. Ages were assessed using counts of opaque and translucent zones in STN otoliths (‘ear bones’). Otoliths used this this study were collected from fish heads supplied by Licensed Fish Receivers (LFRs), collected by observers onboard SLL vessels, or from sampling of the recreational fishery in a related Fisheries New Zealand project. A total of 150, 156, and 163 STN were aged in 2022, 2023, 2024, respectively. Assigned ages ranged from 2–26 years old, with most aged fish around 4–12 years old. An age-length key was constructed applied to the lengths of STN provided by LFRs to estimate the age structure of the SLL catch in each year. The information generated by this study will be used for assessments and fisheries management advice.
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ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-50-0;
AUTHOR:
Moore, B.R.;
Hamill, J.;
Ó Maolagáin, C.;
FAR:
2025/30;
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| 2025/29 | 01/07/2025 |
Langley, A.D. (2025). A pilot multi vessel inshore trawl survey of northern FMA 2 (February-March 2025). New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2025/29. 50 p.
A pilot trawl survey of the inshore area of northern FMA 2 was conducted using three commercial vessels. The pilot survey demonstrated the ability for commercial vessels to undertake a structured research survey with limited direct supervision and facilitate the collection of accurate catch weights and sampling data from individual trawls following vessel unloading. For snapper and red gurnard, the pilot survey provided trawl survey biomass indices with a high degree of precision. The survey results were less reliable for tarakihi. The design of the next survey, scheduled for March 2026, will be modified to improve the utility of the survey for tarakihi. The pilot survey also yielded acceptable biomass indices for trevally, John dory, rig, and school shark.
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FAR:
2025/29;
AUTHOR:
Langley, A.D.;
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| 360 | 26/06/2025 |
Grüss, A.; Datta, S.; McGregor-Tiatia, V.; Holmes, S.J.; Davis, J.P.; Fulton, E.A.; Sainsbury, K.; Plagányi, É.E; Dolder, P.J.; Parsa, M.; Dambacher, J.M.; Gaichas, S.K.; Townsend H.; Pascoe, S.; Blanchard, J.L.; Parsons, D. (2025). Towards ecosystem-based fisheries management in New Zealand: an ecosystem approach to fisheries management case study in FMA 7. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 360. 80 p.
Aotearoa New Zealand has committed to progress integration of broader ecosystem and environmental considerations in fisheries management. These efforts can start with an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, where these broader considerations are explicitly considered in analysis focused on management settings for individual fish stocks.
The research reported here identified and reviewed tools that could support greater analysis of ecosystem and environmental considerations in New Zealand’s current fisheries management framework.
The Fisheries Management Area 7 (west coast South Island) inshore mixed bottom trawl fishery was used as a case study for this research. Meetings with managers and key fishery stakeholders were held to establish key management questions around ecosystem and environmental considerations. This included understanding the effects of single species catch limits on other species in a mixed fishery, the eco
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AEBR:
360;
AUTHOR:
Grüss, A.;
Datta, S.;
McGregor-Tiatia, V.;
Holmes, S.J.;
Davis, J.P.;
Fulton, E.A.;
Sainsbury, K.;
Plagányi, É.E;
Dolder, P.J.;
Parsa, M.;
Dambacher, J.M.;
Gaichas, S.K.;
Townsend H.;
Pascoe, S.;
Blanchard, J.L.;
Parsons, D.;
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| 2025/28 | 26/06/2025 |
Paul-Burke, K.; Burke, J., Gerrity, S. (2025). Piri Pāua: Mātauranga Māori and marine science approach to growth rate and length of maturity of pāua in the Bay of Plenty, 2022–2024. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2025/28. 20 p.
Pāua is a highly regarded taonga (culturally important) species. Mai i ngā Kurī ā Whārei ki Tihirau (the Bay of Plenty Regional Iwi Customary Fisheries Forum) raised concerns about the current state of pāua in Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty). This project utilised localised intergenerational observations of population dynamics in traditional harvesting areas to assess pāua productivity in the Tauranga Moana Mātaitai Reserve in Tauranga and Te Rohe Moana o Ngāti Awa in Whakatāne. The project combined mātauranga Māori alongside marine science field methods.
Results were compared with previous iwi-led research at Tauranga in 2013 and Whakatāne in 2010. The pāua population in 2023 had declined by almost half in Tauranga but remained relatively consistent across all sites in Whakatāne. However, pāua were small sized in both locations, with less than 1% of individuals reaching the Minimum Legal Size (125 mm) for harvesting. Growth rate surveys were conducted in the wild at both locations from June 2023 to the end of May 2024 and identified pāua as slow growing and, as a result, sexually mature at smaller sizes than in other regions of Aotearoa New Zealand.
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AUTHOR:
Paul-Burke, K.;
Burke, J., Gerrity, S.;
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| 2025/27 | 19/06/2025 |
People in New Zealand enjoy the collection of seafood as a recreational and customary activity along the country’s coastline. Two important seafood species in coastal areas are cockles and pipi, which occur in intertidal sediments of beaches, estuaries, and large tidal inlets and harbours. In northern New Zealand, cockles and pipi have been regularly monitored for several decades across different sites in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty. This monitoring aims to ensure the persistence of their populations, providing information of the abundance, density, and population size structure of cockles and pipi. Presented here are the survey findings from the summer of 2024–25, with population information for Pataua Estuary (Northland), Cockle Bay, Kawakawa Bay (West), Mill Bay, Ōkahu and Okoromai bays (Auckland and its wider region), Ōhiwa Harbour, Otūmoetai (Tauranga Harbour), and Waiotahe Estuary (Bay of Plenty), and Whangapoua and Whitianga harbours (Waikato). Both cockle and pipi populations across these northern sites were generally large, consisting of millions of individuals. Their densities varied dependent on the site, but were a minimum of over 140 individuals per square metre for cockles, and over 180 individuals per square metre for pipi, except at one site (Pataua Estuary). At several sites, small-sized individuals made up most of the population, highlighting strong recruitment events that preceded the data collection.
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AUTHOR:
Berkenbusch, K.; Hill-Moana, T.;
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| 2025/26 | 18/06/2025 |
The aim of this project was to estimate the extent of the spatial area that was commercially fished for longfin and shortfin eels in the South Island from 2020 to 2023. For longfin only, this was compared to the previous estimate of all habitat to provide an update of the proportion of longfin habitat that is fished commercially. This provides an indication of the spatial fishing pressure that both longfin and shortfin eel species have experienced and can be used as a tool to assess the status or health of eel stocks.
From 2020 to 2023 there were 1851 eel fishing events of approximately 15 fyke nets set per event, from 21 fishers. About half of the eel fishing events were from lakes and half from rivers. Most fishing on rivers was from the riverbank where the target species was longfin, and most lake fishing was vessel-based where shortfin were targeted. Nearly three-quarters of longfin fishing events and half of shortfin events were in Southland, Otago, and Westland, with most of the remaining shortfin effort focused on Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) and Lake Brunner.
A total of 3714 unique river reaches (totalling approximately 2700 km) were fished over the four years. Half the river reaches were fished only once in the four years, with a fifth of the reaches fished more than four times. The total
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AUTHOR:
Beentjes, M.P.;
Shankar, U.;
|
| 2025/25 | 18/06/2025 |
Presented in this report are standardised catch per unit effort (CPUE) analyses and fishery characterisation for the South Island commercial freshwater shortfin and longfin eel fisheries for the years 1991 to 2023. The fisheries within nine catchments or management areas that are commercially fished are described along with trends in abundance of both eel species, where sufficient data exist, over this 33 years period.
The main South Island longfin commercial fisheries are concentrated along rivers in Otago, Southland and Westland and the main shortfin fisheries are focussed on coastal lakes and river mouths such as Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) and Lake Brunner.
Before introduction into the Quota Management System in 2001, shortfin abundance indices showed clear declines for Otago (AV) and Southland (AW), but in Westland (AX) there was an overall increase in abundance. After 2001 there were slight increases in shortfin abundance in AV and AW and a clear increasing trend for AX. Te Waihora (AS1), after 2001, showed a steep increase in abundance before levelling off for a few years, followed by a fast and steep decline after which it was variable with no clear trend.
Shortfin stock status is as follows:
AV
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Author:
Beentjes, M.P.;
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| 2025/24 | 04/06/2025 |
Finucci, B.; Moore, B.R. (2025). Characterisation and CPUE indices for swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from the New Zealand surface longline fishery 1993 to 2023. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2025/24. 62 p.
Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are a highly migratory species, widespread in the Pacific Ocean, with the New Zealand region only a small part of its range. This report describes the catch and effort data for swordfish in the New Zealand surface longline fishery and updates the catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) indices using commercial catch effort and remote-sensed environmental variables.
Data were analysed in 4 series: all vessels in the fishery from 1993–2023 and from 2004–2023, and a selected core fleet from 1999–2023 and from 2004–2023. The later time series incorporated operational changes in the fishery, including the recording of light sticks and bait type, when swordfish was introduced into the Quota Management System (QMS) in 2004. All models showed similar CPUE trends over time. CPUE gradually increased to a peak in 2012 and 2013, followed by a steady decline to 2019, with a slight recent increase to 2023. Average swordfish size across 3 data sources was 60 kg, and annual average size showed some increasing trend between 2005 and 2017, followed by decline to 2023 to sizes similar to those observed in 2005.
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FAR:
2025/24;
AUTHOR:
Finucci, B.;
Moore, B.R.;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991380-03-6;
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| | 26/05/2025 |
An acoustic biomass survey of spawning orange roughy was undertaken on aggregations at Morgue and Graveyard hills in ORH 3B North-West Chatham Rise and at Rekohu, Spawn Plume and Mt Muck in ORH 3B East & South Chatham Rise, during June and July 2022 aboard FV San Waitaki.
Acoustic data were recorded using the vessel’s hull-mounted Simrad 38 kHz echosounder system and a dual-frequency (38 kHz & 120 kHz) Acoustic Optic System (AOS) deployed on the headrope of a trawl net.
In NWCR, spawning biomass at Morgue, a protected area, showed an increase over survey estimates in 2013, 2016 and 2021, while spawning biomass at Graveyard was considerably reduced compared to the previous survey estimate in 2013. In ESCR, spawning biomass at Rekohu in 2022 was lower than in 2013 and 2016, while at Spawn Plume the biomass was similar to that found in 2013 and 2016. At Mt Muck the biomass in 2022 was higher than the estimates in 2013 and 2016.
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ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991345-89-9;
AUTHOR:
Ryan, T.E.;
Tilney, R.L.;
FAR:
2025/23;
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| | 26/05/2025 |
New Zealand has developed a spatially explicit risk assessment framework to assess the impact of fishing on protected species. It has been applied to a variety of charismatic fauna that are potentially vulnerable to the effects of fishing, including sea lions, seabirds and dolphins. In the case of seabirds, many of the species caught incidentally by New Zealand vessels are also caught outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone by high seas fisheries, particularly surface longliners fishing for tuna at high latitudes. This has led the risk assessment framework to be developed in a manner that can include global fishing effort and using global species distribution maps.
The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) is the regional fisheries management organisation responsible for managing southern bluefin tuna surface longline fisheries. New Zealand has a history of collaboration with the CCSBT to develop a risk assessment for seabirds in the southern hemisphere. The current project is the most recent update to that work. This report provides a review and update of the biological input data used for the risk assessment, as well as a brief outline of the fisheries data. The assessment results were presented at the Fifteenth Session of the Working Group on Ecologically Related Species in June 2024. Model outputs and results are provided in the CCSBT report from that meeting.
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ISSN:
1179-6480;
ISBN:
978-1-991345-91-2;
AEBR:
359;
AUTHOR:
Edwards, C.T.T.;
Peatman, T.;
Fischer J.;
Gibson, W.;
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| | 26/05/2025 |
Tangata Whenua of Tutukaka, Ngunguru and Hora Hora seek to protect and enhance ecosystem health in their rohe. In February 2024, the Rehuotane Ki Tai 186a temporary closure was established within three nautical miles of the coast. The harvest for rock lobster, cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua was prohibited and no fishing with nets was allowed in Tutukaka Harbour or the Ngunguru and Hora Hora estuaries.
The Whāngai Mokopuna Rohe Moana management group initiated this research project in conjunction with appointed Tangata Kaitiaki to identify areas of healthy kelp forest and the extent of kina barrens and to trial kina removals at two sites. A cost effective and repeatable “rapid assessment” survey method was developed using readily available mapping software and in-water observations.
A simple habitat classification system was used by two experienced freedivers who reported what they saw to the crew on the support boat. We surveyed 17 km of coastline in three days, recording the location of each observation. There were extensive mature or active kina barrens observed in water depths of 10 metres or less. These areas had low biodiversity and few reef fish.
Two areas were selected for clearance of kina using free divers. Most kina collected in August
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ISSN:
1179-6480;
ISBN:
978-1-991345-86-8;
AUTHOR:
Hansford, J.;
Edney, G.;
Wellington, P.;
Solomon, R.;
Amos, C.;
Clueard, H.;
Holdsworth, J.;
AEBR:
358;
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| | 26/05/2025 |
New Zealand has developed a spatially explicit risk assessment framework to assess the impact of fishing on protected species. It has been applied to a variety of charismatic fauna that are potentially vulnerable to the effects of fishing, including sea lions, seabirds and dolphins. In the case of seabirds, many of the species caught incidentally by New Zealand vessels are also caught outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone by high seas fisheries, particularly surface longliners fishing for tuna at high latitudes. This has led the risk assessment framework to be developed in a manner that can include global fishing effort and using global species distribution maps.
The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) is the regional fisheries management organisation responsible for managing southern bluefin tuna surface longline fisheries. New Zealand has a history of collaboration with the CCSBT to develop a risk assessment for seabirds in the southern hemisphere. The current project is the most recent update to that work. This report outlines details of the method used for work that was presented at the Fifteenth Session of the Working Group on Ecologically Related Species in June 2024. Model outputs and results are provided in the CCSBT report from that meeting.
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ISSN:
1179-6480;
ISBN:
978-1-991345-81-3;
AUTHOR:
Edwards, C.T.T.;
Peatman, T.;
Gibson, W.;
AEBR:
357;
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| 356 | 07/05/2025 |
The Chatham Islands to the East of the South Island of New Zealand are in an area that has been identified as experiencing frequent marine heatwaves. We investigated the effect of changing sea surface temperatures on adult and sub-adult pāua (Haliotis iris) collected from Ascots Beach and Owenga Harbour in the Chatham Islands, between 2020 and 2022. Pāua at the two sites reacted differently to temperature changes based on microbial diversity and metabolic profile findings. Site specific differences were detected in histological assessments with pāua from Ascots Beach showing reproductive abnormalities and pāua from Owenga Harbour showing an increased presence of kidney stones.
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AUTHOR:
Alfaro, A.C.;
Venter, L.;
Guo, J.;
Copedo, J.S.;
Nguyen, T.V.;
Sharma, S.S.;
Azizan, A.;
Ericson, J.A.;
Ragg, N.L.C.;
Cooper, J.;
McCowan, T.;
Cameron, N.;
Mundy, C;
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| | 06/05/2025 |
Snapper is New Zealand’s most important commercial and recreational inshore finfish species.
This report describes a research study conducted in 2022–23 and 2023–24 to find out the size and age of snapper in the commercial bottom trawl catch in SNA 7, which covers Tasman and Golden Bays (TBGB) and the west coast of the South Island (WCSI). For TBGB this project contributes to a timeseries extending back to 1992–93. This is the first study to investigate snapper size and age on the WCSI.
While some difficulties were experienced obtaining samples in 2022–23, access to electronic reporting data from fishing vessels greatly improved sampling in 2023–24. In 2022–23, a total of 26 landings were sampled and 1496 otolith pairs aged; whereas in 2023–24, 43 landings were sampled and 1796 otolith pairs were aged.
Aging of otoliths has revealed that the bottom trawl catches in both TBGB and WCSI are dominated by young snapper, mostly five and six years of age and with average sizes of between 38 and 43 cm. Previous strong year-classes (notably 13 and 16 year old fish) are still present in the fishery, but are now of lesser importance (i.e., their abundance has decreased over the years since they were first present in the fishery). Overall, the SNA 7 fishery now includes multiple strong year-classes, which is generally a sign of an improving fishery.
&n
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ISBN:
978-1-991345-80-6;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
FAR:
2025/22;
AUTHOR:
Parsons, D.M.;
Bian, R.;
Walsh, C.;
Johnson, K.;
Smith, M.;
Hart, A.;
Sutton, C.;
Olmedo-Rojas, P.;
Stead, J.;
Olsen, L.;
Madden, B.;
Armiger, H.;
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| | 06/05/2025 |
This report describes application of a novel risk assessment approach to trawl bycatch (non-target) shark species. The assessment estimated the exploitation rate inflicted on each of twelve species by fishing in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone. Although trawl catches predominated, all relevant fishing methods were included so that the total fisheries impact could be gauged. The exploitation rate is a measure of the proportion of the selected population biomass that is killed as a result of fishing, and includes those individuals that die even when returned to the ocean. The exploitation was compared to a theoretical productivity measure to estimate whether it was high enough to inflict long-term damage on the population. Elephantfish (Callorhinchus milii) and carpet shark (Cephaloscyllium isabellum) were identified as being at higher risk from fishing.
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ISBN:
978-1-991345-68-4;
ISSN:
1179-6480;
AEBR:
355;
AUTHOR:
Edwards, C.T.T.;
|
| | 06/05/2025 |
This report describes application of a novel risk assessment approach to pelagic bycatch (non-target) shark species. The assessment estimated the exploitation rate inflicted on each of six species by fishing in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone. All relevant fishing methods were included so that the total fisheries impact could be gauged. The exploitation rate is a measure of the proportion of the selected population numbers that are killed as a result of fishing, and includes those individuals that die even when returned to the ocean. The exploitation was compared to a theoretical productivity measure to estimate whether it was high enough to inflict long-term damage on the population. Thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus), porbeagle (Lamna nasus) and mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) were identified as being at higher risk from fishing and risk for the protected basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) and white pointer shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was lower but still non-negligible.
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ISBN:
978-1-991345-67-7;
ISSN:
1179-6480;
AEBR:
354;
AUTHOR:
Edwards, C.T.T.;
Pinkerton, M.H.;
Dunn, M.;
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| 2025/21 | 06/05/2025 |
This report summarises pāua shell length information collected by sampling the commercial catch from areas PAU 2, PAU 3A, PAU 3B, PAU 4, PAU 5A, PAU 5B, PAU 5D and PAU 7 during the 2023–24 fishing year.
Over the last few seasons the length frequency distributions from PAU 5A show that there has been a decrease in the overall length of pāua measured live on the SciElex boards. All other areas were typical of commercial pāua fisheries, and consistent with previous years.
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AUTHOR:
Cooper, J.P.;
McCowan T.A;
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| 2025/20 | 09/04/2025 |
The red rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) supports the most valuable inshore commercial fishery in New Zealand. This fishery has been managed with catch quotas in nine Quota Management Areas (QMAs), which are usually treated as independent populations or stocks.
This document describes a stock assessment of red rock lobster in CRA 4 up to the 2023–24 fishing year. This stock assessment suggests that CRA 4 has experienced periods of biomass peaks and troughs over the time series modelled and has been increasing towards a peak for the past decade. This pattern has likely been driven by variability in recruitment and catch rates. Projections suggest the stock may hit a peak in biomass over the next five years.
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AUTHOR:
Rudd, M.B.;
Webber, D.N.;
Starr, P.J.;
Roberts, J.;
Pons, M.;
|
| | 07/04/2025 |
- We investigated orange roughy stock assessments for Chatham Rise, part of ORH 3B.
- Stock assessments for this region have encountered problems, with models much more optimistic about stock status than suggested by fisheries statistics and some research surveys.
- We describe skipper information on orange roughy behaviour and target fishing, the biology of orange roughy with respect to their sensory abilities, and observations of orange roughy responding to objects in the water column and to fishing disturbance.
- Investigations of fisheries catch per unit effort found evidence of disturbance, where recent fishing activity reduced catch rates. The disturbance effect was considered useful but was not a “game changer”.
- Seasonal trends in sea temperature, primary productivity, weather, and sea state, could be simply described using a “month” variable. Spatial and regime shift models improved the fits to data.
- Observed changes in orange roughy age frequency distributions have been poorly fitted in recent stock assessment models, but were better fitted here by models assuming reproduction had dropped to a very low level once the fishery started. One hypothesis that might explain this result is that fishing disturbance reduced reproducti
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FAR:
2025/18;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991345-46-2;
AUTHOR:
Dunn, M.R.;
Doonan, I.J.;
Anderson, O.F.;
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| 353 | 07/04/2025 |
Offshore finfish farming is expanding in New Zealand, but we lack knowledge about how seabed habitats and their species will respond to organic enrichment (in the form of faeces and waste feed) from salmon farms. This report, part of the Environmental Health Measures for Open Ocean Aquaculture project, investigates these impacts through laboratory and field experiments on three species: horse mussels, brachiopods, and scallops. Lab trials tested responses to controlled levels of enrichment, while field trials monitored animals near an operational salmon farm in the Marlborough Sounds.
Key Findings
•Fatty acid tests showed that all species absorbed salmon waste, which affected their nutritional health.
•Breathing rates increased with enrichment in horse mussels and brachiopods, suggesting they were using more energy to survive.
•Changes in gene activity were strong in the lab but weaker in the field, potentially showing early warning signs of stress.
•Some animals developed health issues, including parasites in horse mussels and scallops, and tissue changes possibly linked to changes in their diet or normal variations in living functions.
•Overall, the effects did not cause death, with N. lenticularis showing higher tolerance than the two bivalve species.
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AUTHOR:
McMullin, R.;
McGrath, E.;
Bennett, H.;
Copedo, J.;
Ericson, J.;
Delorme, N.;
Miller, M.;
Biessy. L.;
Pearman, J.;
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| | 07/04/2025 |
The red rock lobster supports the most valuable inshore commercial fishery in New Zealand. This fishery has been managed with catch quotas in nine Quota Management Areas (QMAs), which are usually treated as independent populations or stocks.
The catch quotas are calculated for some QMAs using management procedures (MPs). Given an input, such as catch per unit effort (CPUE), MPs return an output such as Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC).
This document describes the operation of the current MPs used to manage New Zealand red rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) in CRA 7 and CRA 8 for the 2025–26 fishing year. The operation of the MPs for the upcoming 2025–26 fishing year indicated that there should be no change in TACC for CRA 8, but indicated an increase in TACC for CRA 7.
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FAR:
2025/19;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
ISBN:
978-1-991345-48-6;
AUTHOR:
Webber, D.N.;
Roberts, J.;
Pons, M.;
Rudd, M.;
Starr, P.J.;
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| | 07/04/2025 |
This research reviewed current data and information about marine heatwaves in New Zealand and their potential effects on marine ecosystems and fisheries. A marine heatwave is a prolonged period of warmer-than-usual water. Such events are increasing in frequency and intensity globally. Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa-NZ) has experienced several in the last decade, and marine heatwaves are predicted to become more frequent and intense, and to last for longer, in the future.
Scientific reports from overseas suggest that marine heatwaves could affect both individuals and populations, causing redistributions such as range expansions or contractions, and affect reproductive success and survival of early life stages. In Aotearoa-NZ, spatial redistributions have been observed but whether they were caused by environmental change is unknown or speculative. Fishes may also be impacted by marine heatwaves through ecosystem changes, in particular the distribution and abundance of prey, changes to biogenic habitat, and disease, as much as through direct physiological effects.
We reviewed published information on 32 species or species groups of importance to fisheries in Aotearoa-NZ. Documented evidence of the impact of marine heatwaves in New Zealand were only found for green lipped mussel, snapper, and king (chinook, quinnat) salmon. Some information was found for bluefin tuna, rock lobster, and snapper outside of Aotearoa-NZ. Further inte
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AEBR:
352;
ISSN:
1179-6480;
ISBN:
978-1-991345-47-9;
AUTHOR:
Cook, K.M.;
Dunn, M.R.;
Behrens, E.;
Pinkerton, M.H.;
Law, C.;
Cummings, V.J.;
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| | 19/03/2025 |
• The Foveaux Strait oyster fishery (OYU 5) is a high value, nationally important fishery.
• A defining feature of the OYU 5 fishery is the recurrent infection by the parasite Bonamia exitiosa (Bonamia)
• Annual research surveys monitor both oyster abundance within the fishery and the prevalence of Bonamia infection annually.
• A dredge survey was undertaken in February 2024, in collaboration with the Bluff Oyster Management Company Ltd on FV Golden Harvest.
• Oyster densities have declined since 2021.
• In 2024, 1755 oysters were tested from 71 stations, with 18.1% testing positive for Bonamia.
• The prevalence of infection is higher than in 2023 (8.7%) and the highest it has been since at least 2015.
• The increased prevalence of infection is expected to affect the number of recruit-sized oysters in the population.
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ISBN:
978-1-991345-42-4;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
FAR:
2025/17;
AUTHOR:
Morrison, M.;
Lane, H.S.;
Bian, R.;
Moss, G.;
Brooks, A.;
Smith, L.;
Forman, J.;
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| | 19/03/2025 |
Scallops (Pecten novaezelandiae) are a species of shellfish that live on the seabed in sandy coastal areas in Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ). Scallops support highly valued commercial and non-commercial (customary and recreational) fisheries, but fishery closures have been put in place due to sustainability concerns.
Scallop populations in northeastern NZ were surveyed in 2024 to assess the status of the scallop beds since the closures were first put in place in 2022. A variety of camera, dive, and dredge survey methods were used to survey the main scallop fishing areas to collect the images and data for analysis.
The 2024 survey work included the first use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a NZ scallop survey. AI was used to automatically find and measure the size of scallops visible in the photos from the camera survey. The AI method was tested using data collected by the divers. The dredge survey allowed a comparison between the camera and dredge survey methods.
The findings of the camera/AI and dredge surveys were similar. The AI correctly identified and measured most of the scallops in the camera survey photos. Future work could further improve this new method.
The 2024 survey results showed there had been some localised increases in scallop numbers in Eastern Coromandel and in Whangarei Harbour, but there was no e
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ISBN:
978-1-991345-39-4;
ISSN:
1179-5352;
FAR:
2025/26;
AUTHOR:
Williams, J.R.;
Underwood, M.J.;
Rensen, T.;
Hughes, R.;
Bian, R.;
Middleton, C.;
Evans, O.;
Middleton, I.;
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| 2025/15 | 10/03/2025 |
This report summarises pāua shell length information collected by sampling the commercial catch from areas PAU 2, PAU 3A, PAU 3B, PAU 4, PAU 5A, PAU 5B, PAU 5D and PAU 7 during the 2022–23 fishing year.
The length frequency distributions were typical of commercial pāua fisheries, and consistent with previous years.
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AUTHOR:
Cooper, J.P.;
McCowan, T.A.;
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| 2025/14 | 10/03/2025 |
Integrated stock assessments provide estimates of stock status based on available data and information. Stock status is the current biomass of the stock as a percentage of the biomass before the stock was fished.
This report presents an integrated stock assessment for hoki, New Zealand’s largest finfish fishery. It includes information on movement and biology of hoki and data from commercial fisheries and research surveys.
The base model assumes there are two hoki stocks, an eastern stock that spawns in the Cook Strait and off the east coast of South Island and a western stock that spawns off the west coast of South Island. To allow for uncertainty in this assumed stock structure, an alternative model with a single stock is also presented.
Results from the assessment estimated current stock status to be at 51% of its unfished level for the eastern stock and 41% for the western stock. The combined stock status was estimated to be 45% (two-stock model) or 46% (single-stock model) of its unfished level. All assessments indicate the stock status for hoki is currently within the management target range of 35–50% of its unfished level.
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AUTHOR:
McGregor, V.L.;
Langley, A.D.;
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| 2025/13 | 27/02/2025 |
• Albacore are mostly caught by trolling on the west coast of New Zealand. Albacore catch is composed of three distinct sizes in most years, probably reflecting one- to three-year-old fish.
• Albacore caught by trolling during the 202122, 202223, and 202324 fishing seasons were sampled onshore to determine the length frequency composition and length-weight relationship.
• Albacore were sampled from two ports, in Greymouth and for the first time, in Nelson, New Zealand. The numbers targeted for sampling were based on the commercial catch each month during recent years. Fish were sampled between January and March / April each year.
• Each year roughly 3700 – 4500 fish had their length measured, and approximately 400 fish were weighed.
• We investigated patterns over space and time of catch and effort. These were different for the three fishing seasons. Sampling captured the patterns of the commercial fishery well.
• The length distribution showed three peaks visible in most samples during 202122 and 202223. In 2023−24 there was only one peak around 62 cm, with few small or large fish.
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| 2025/12 | 27/02/2025 |
This report outlines the findings of the New Zealand Gamefish Tagging Programme (NZGTP) for the 2022–23 and 2023–24 fishing years. The NZGTP is a cooperative project between Fisheries New Zealand, the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council (NZSFC), its affiliated clubs, and other recreational and commercial fishers.
The programme collects data on the tagging and recapture of key gamefish species, including marlin, swordfish, kingfish, and some shark and tuna species, within New Zealand's waters and surrounding areas. Over the last two years, 2049 fish were tagged in New Zealand waters, with an additional 35 tagged internationally.
Information collected in this project are used to describe:
•When each species of fish is available in New Zealand;
•Seasonal migrations;
•Stock boundaries or management regions
•Growth rates;
•Changes in distribution over time.
Striped marlin, one of the main species, was tagged and released in significant numbers, especially in early 2024. Yellowtail kingfish is another important species in the programme and the number tagged and released from commercial vessels has increased. The catch rates for other species, like blue marlin and yellowfin tuna, have varied. The number of tagged sharks has declined, particularly for mako and blue sharks, while bro
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AUTHOR:
Holdsworth, J.C.;
Curtis, S.;
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| 350 | 14/02/2025 |
Methods to reduce and monitor seabird bycatch in tuna longline fisheries are subject to ongoing investigation globally. Proven methods to reduce seabird bycatch are available, while these may not be implemented at sea. This project progressed the development of a working benchtop prototype device designed to monitor deployment of a tori line (a line with streamers attached that is deployed astern the fishing vessel, and reduces the risk of seabird bycatch by deterring birds from attending longline gear during setting), night setting, and the presence of weights on longline branchlines. The benchtop prototype device was transformed into a unit designed for at-sea deployment and subjected to proof-of-concept at-sea testing. The seagoing prototype design incorporated two small IP cameras, a GPS antenna, a rotation sensor, and an externally produced tracking buoy intended to record the location of the terminal end of the tori line. Forty-five hours of camera imagery and associated data were collected from five longline sets during at-sea testing in New Zealand. Tori line deployment could be verified and longline setting time was recorded (relevant to monitoring night-setting). The tracking buoy located at the end of the tori line failed to record GPS information during testing. Therefore, the location of the terminal end of the tori line astern the vessel could not be determined. The project also encountered many logistical difficulties, in part due to taking place at the h
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AUTHOR:
Carovano, K.;
Pierre, J.;
Fuller, J.;
Cozza, A.;
Wealti, M.;
Torgersion, E.;
Jones, Z.;
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| 349 | 14/02/2025 |
The New Zealand fur seal faces threats from disease, climate change effects on their prey, and interactions with commercial fishing. This project aimed to identify areas where New Zealand fur seals and fisheries interact and evaluate ways to reduce these interactions, while balancing conservation and fishing needs.
In some areas around New Zealand, at different times of the year, hoki, middle depth, southern arrow squid, and southern blue whiting trawl fisheries pose the highest fishery-risk to New Zealand fur seals. Lower risk are shark, flatfish, minor set net fisheries, and the southern bluefin tuna surface longline fishery.
A literature review examined potential options to reduce New Zealand fur seal interactions. For trawl fisheries, solutions included a Seal Exclusion Device (optimised for New Zealand fur seals), net binding during shooting, and net constriction during hauling. Acoustic devices, designed to cause a startled response in fur seals, showed promise for set net fisheries. Switching from set net to demersal longlining or potting might also be an option. In surface longline fisheries, covering the catch or using acoustic devices may be a solution, although have not commonly been used for seals and sea lions.
Mitigation success varies by target species, fishery, and gear type, so a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. This study
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AUTHOR:
Underwood, M.J.;
Jones, E.G.;
Roberts, J.O.;
Wells, R.;
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| 348 | 14/02/2025 |
This report provides estimates of non-target catch and discards in the southern blue whiting fishery between 2006–07 and 2022–23 (comprising 12 195 trawls from 30 vessels).
Southern blue whiting (SBW) accounted for over 99% of the total estimated catch from all observed tows; with no other species contributing more than 0.2% of this catch. The remainder of the observed catch included ling (534 t), hoki (382 t), hake (275 t), porbeagle (178 t), silver warehou (106 t), silverside (51 t), plus a range of other species caught in small amounts, such as rattails, morid cods, and chondrichthyans.
Total estimated annual non-target catch ranged from about 57 t to 341 t, similar to levels for earlier periods from the previous assessment and without any clear indication of increasing or decreasing levels over time.
Southern blue whiting made up most of the discards due to gear breakage, malfunction, or net damage. Estimated annual discards of southern blue whiting ranged from 19 t to 272 t and showed a slight decline over time.
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AUTHOR:
Anderson, O.F.;
Edwards, C.T.T.;
Finucci, B.;
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| 2025/11 | 14/02/2025 |
The red rock lobster supports the most valuable inshore commercial fishery in New Zealand. This fishery has been managed with catch quotas in nine Quota Management Areas (QMAs), which are usually treated as independent populations or stocks.
To estimate those quotas, each population is fully assessed every five years, requiring a lot of time and effort by a team of at least five researchers working on the review of the previous stock assessments and data inputs, the processing and addition of new data, and development of a new assessment.
Every year, instead of a full assessment, a rapid update assessment is done for some of the stocks that were not assessed that year. A rapid update repeats the previous full assessment model, only updating data inputs, which significantly speeds up the required process to provide advice about stock status in the interim years between full stock assessments.
This document describes the operation of the stock assessment rapid update completed in 2024 for CRA 2 which can be used to guide management decisions.
For the beginning of the 2024–25 fishing year, red rock lobster in CRA 2 was estimated to be above sustainable levels and projected to be above reference levels in five years under current catch limits.
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AUTHOR:
Pons, M.;
Webber, D.N.;
Rudd, M.B.;
Starr, P.J.;
Roberts, J.;
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| 2025/10 | 14/02/2025 |
This paper summarises commercial catch and effort statistics for red rock lobsters, which are also known in New Zealand as “crayfish” or “kōura”. The summaries are by the fishing year as set out in the Fisheries Act, with the rock lobster legal fishing year defined as the period 1 April–31 March. The summaries presented in this document cover the period 1 April 1979 to 31 March 2024.
There are nine red rock lobster Quota Management Areas (QMAs) that cover all inshore waters of the North Island, the South Island and the Chatham Islands. There are 43 statistical areas that lie within these nine QMAs. The summaries are ordered by QMA, with each QMA identified by a three-letter code and a number. The red rock lobster code is CRA, so the nine QMAs are labelled CRA 1 to CRA 9.
The first three tables for each CRA QMA summarise, by statistical area and fishing year, (1) number of vessels, (2) catch and (3) effort. The last category is defined as the total number of rock lobster pots lifted within each fishing year and statistical area. The fourth table summarises catch by month and fishing year for the entire QMA and a fifth table gives the monthly catch by statistical area for just the final fishing year, which is 2023–24 in this document.
The sixth table for each QMA summarises catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) by statist
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AUTHOR:
Starr, P.J.;
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| 2025/08 | 14/02/2025 |
This report outlines the findings of the 2024 onsite survey estimating the amateur harvest of pāua in the Kaikōura Marine Area, New Zealand. The fishery was closed after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes due to significant habitat damage and pāua mortality. Following public consultation and engagement with tangata whenua, the fishery reopened for a three-month open season in summer 2021–22. An onsite survey was designed and implemented to estimate recreational harvest from land-based access points.
This report describes the method and results for the third survey of amateur pāua harvest in the Kaikōura Marine Area, covering a 61 day open season from 1 April to 31 June 2024. A roving survey that counted the number of fishers in the water was used to estimate hourly fishing effort. Separate onsite interviews recorded catch per fisher when they had finished fishing. Oaro, south of the main survey area was included for a second year. Interviewers collected individual pāua weight and length from all surveyed catch.
Across the 27 survey days, clerks interviewed a total of 353 individual fishers and counted 1074 fishers in the water. The total recreational harvest for all daylight hours and days in the Kaikōura Marine Area was estimated to be 15.83 tonnes (CV 0.18), which is higher than the 2023 harvest estimate.
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AUTHOR:
Holdsworth, J.C.;
Curtis, S.;
Neubauer, P.;
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