Ministry of Fisheries Deepwater Fisheries Manager Aoife Martin told that the ministry has commissioned scientific research and made important changes in the hoki fishery and two orange roughy fisheries because the ministry has invested around $20 million in research into New Zealand’s fisheries and marine environment last year. The minister informed that this research deals with the management of New Zealand’s fisheries using the world-class quota management system.
According to Martin these research results show that our management approach has worked but that we have some work still to do to get the right management measures in place for some areas. These results would be use to develop proposed catch limits for the next fishing year which opens on 1 October this year.
Rebuilding of hoki fishery stocks was strongly recommended and the results show that that fishery is well within sustainable levels and above management target levels in the eastern fishstock. Two possible catch limit options are proposed, either no change or an increase of 10,000 tonnes. Martin said that the science suggests a larger increase would have been sustainable but the Ministry of Fisheries and hoki quota owners want to take a cautious approach.
The orange roughy fishery on the Challenger Plateau, an area north-west of the South Island, has recovered well after being closed since October 2000 to protect long-term sustainability after fish numbers dropped below acceptable levels. The fishery has now recovered to the point where it could be sustainably opened to fishing again. Martins also said that the latest results for orange roughy on the Chatham Rise show the rebuilding strategy has not yet had the results we need to see.
