FAQs

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Can a fishery be closed to Māori customary fishing?

April 13, 2023 In March 2023 Stuart Nash, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, closed the Coromandel scallop fishery to commercial and recreational harvest. This closure was made under section 11 of the Fisheries Act 1996. The fishery remains open to Māori customary harvest. There has been a strong reaction to this decision so we asked Fisheries New ... Read more.
customary

Why is it important for New Zealand to adopt B50?

July 24, 2021 B50 means a more resilient ocean through more fish and increased biodiversity. More fish in the water means fish stocks have well-balanced age structures in their populations and a more productive marine ecosystem that can support other creatures such as marine mammals, seabirds, and sharks.  In measuring fish population size for a fish stock, Fisheries ... Read more.
Fisheries Management | maximum sustainable yield

Why should I care about B50?

July 24, 2021 B50 can be further explained as fish population sizes should be at a minimum at 50% of the size that the original fish population was, before large-scale fishing began.  B50 means more fish in New Zealand waters. More fish means more biodiversity through increased fish abundance. More biodiversity creates ecological resilience to fight environmental issues ... Read more.
Fisheries Management

What is B50?

July 24, 2021 B50 describes a fish population at 50% of its estimated original stock size (biomass). Biomass is an estimate of the total quantity of fish in a given area.  If a fish stock is estimated to be at B50 that means that there is around half the amount of fish in a given area compared to ... Read more.
Fisheries Management

How does New Zealand use biomass in managing fisheries?

July 24, 2021 New Zealand uses different biomass levels to measure stock status when carrying out a fish stock assessment. Two biomass levels are used, the spawning stock biomass, and the initial biomass (B0).The spawning stock biomass and the initial biomass are compared as a percentage to indicate overall fish stock status.  The spawning stock biomass is the ... Read more.
Fisheries Management

What is biomass?

July 24, 2021   In fisheries, biomass is an estimate of the total quantity of fish in a given area. Biomass can be expressed in different ways, depending on what you are trying to measure.  For example, biomass can be an estimate of the number of fish able to breed, or biomass can be expressed as the estimated ... Read more.
Fisheries Management

What is a rāhui?

April 28, 2021 A rāhui is an indigenous, Māori principle used to regulate human activity for the future well-being of the people and natural resources such as fisheries.  ‘Rāhui’ translates ‘to prohibit, or a prohibition’. It is used in the form of restriction/ prohibition of a resource, area, or activity. In fisheries it is used to ban harvesting ... Read more.
Customary Fisheries

Should we put our snapper breeders back?

January 11, 2021 A common thread over summer is that recreational fishers ought to release big snapper during spawning season because big fish are the best breeders. The ‘Put our breeders back’ argument is partially true – Bigger snapper can produce more eggs in a season, but it doesn’t mean all big snapper need to be released. If ... Read more.
Fishcare | Fishing

Why is information on high grading, bycatch and dumping often withheld by Fisheries New Zealand or its predecessors?

November 2, 2020 Embarrassment. In 2014 fisheries officials discussed the merits of releasing or not releasing damning evidence of illegal and wasteful practices by commercial fishers. They discussed the potential backlash if the evidence was withheld by the Ministry and later discovered and made public. The 2016 report by Michael Heron QC details this discussion in relation to ... Read more.
Fisheries Management | QMS

Why are only 56% of targeted species assessed?

November 2, 2020 Because there is a lack of available research funding. The system is set up so that quota holders have a major influence on where the research funding is spent. This means that research funding is targeted towards fish stocks that may deliver greater catch limits, not necessarily the fish stocks that are depleted (in trouble) ... Read more.
QMS