Small fish, mighty ecosystem
What are baitfish and why should you care about them?
Baitfish or forage fish are small, schooling fish like pilchards, mackerels, kōheru and anchovies. While small, these fish play a significant role in the marine environment.
Baitfish are the critical link in the marine food web, as they are the food source for kahawai, kingfish, snapper, marine mammals, seabirds and other larger predatory fish.
Despite the fact they are small in size and ecologically critical, by weight (in tonnes) these baitfish are the most harvested species globally.
Here in New Zealand over 50 000 tonnes (50 million kilos) of mackerels and pilchards were fished from New Zealand waters in 2022–23.
Jack mackerel makes up the highest proportion of all baitfish caught in New Zealand. Along the east coast of the North Island otherwise known as JMA 1, commercial fishers are permitted to harvest 10 000 tonnes (10 million kilos) of Jack mackerel per year. Yet last year they were physically only able to harvest 30% of this allocation.
Incredibly, there has never been a full stock assessment for JMA 1 so Fisheries New Zealand has no data to confirm if current catch settings are even sustainable.
When data is limited, anecdotal information is vital.
If you spend time on or near the water, we want to know if you have seen changes in the availability or occurrence of baitfish. Please let us know your experiences in the survey below.
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People with coastal properties can expect to see more trawlers operating offshore this summer. That’s because Shane Jones, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, has just increased the catch limits for more than 12 different fish stocks between Northland and Foveaux Strait. “Excessive increases to the total allowable commercial catch for snapper, kingfish, Jack mackerel, […]
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First published in The Adventurer, July 2024 This little fish went to a foreign fish market, this little fish was ground into cat food, and this little fish was fished all the way to the brink of collapse. A tragic ending is on the horizon for our humble baitfish. Concerning reports from fishers between Northland […]
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Marine ecosystems are delicate. When something is out of balance it impacts a variety of species. It can be likened to a domino effect. It’s about who eats who. Baitfish including Blue and Jack mackerels are a perfect example. It’s incredible that such a small fish can influence the way an ecosystem functions. Yet it’s […]
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At the LegaSea-led Kai Ika filleting station, we fillet fish for amateur fishers. We also collect and distribute unwanted fishheads and frames to marae and whānau around Auckland who revere these tasty morsels. In August 2022, before snapper spawning season even began, we noticed a large proportion of the fish coming through the Kai Ika […]
