Nearly half of the fish caught worldwide are from stocks that are scientifically monitored and, on average, are increasing in abundance. Effective management appears to be the main reason these stocks are at sustainable levels or successfully rebuilding.
That is the...
Friday 22 November 2019
Press Release: Fisheries New Zealand
Fishing rule changes to reduce threats to sea lions in the subantarctic Auckland Islands squid fishery have been decided.
New Zealand sea lions are a national taonga. They...
Seafood New Zealand chief executive, Tim Pankhurst, said China was an important market for New Zealand seafood.
“While the volume of seafood going...
Commercial fisheries' impact on the marine environment is reducing.
That is according to the Our Marine Environment 2019 report, jointly prepared by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ, released in Wellington today.
Seafood NZ chief executive Tim...
The winner of this year’s Seabird Smart Awards began his quest to invent a fishing technique that keeps seabirds safe from fishing hooks over twenty years ago. Dave Kellian, a fisher based out of Leigh, spent many hours in his shed building a prototype device to release baited hooks ten metres underwater, out of the reach of seabirds.
Two orange roughy fisheries – one in the Tasman, the other centred in the Pacific and the sub-Antarctic – received substantial quota increases in the sustainability round that came into effect on October 1, the start of the new...
Deepwater Group CEO George Clement gave a presentation at the Seafood Directions conference session on sustainability in Melbourne on 10 October 2019, which can be accessed below.
Press release from New Zealand Government Hon Stuart Nash, Minister of Fisheries. Friday 27 September 2019
Commercial catch limits for tarakihi will be reduced by a further 10 per cent as part of a package of measures to ensure sustainability of a number of fish stocks around the country.
For those inspired by stories of the Kraken, here’s one for you.
This five-kilo beast was recently brought aboard the FV Independent while mid-water trawling for arrow squid at the Snares.
The Marine Stewardship Council has published a gallery-style eBook of MSC certified seafood titled ‘Sustainable seafood and where to find it’.
New Zealand’s Benthic Protection Areas (BPAs) are internationally-recognised as a type of Marine Protected Area (MPA). The IUCN recognises seven categories of MPAs and BPAs meet Category VI.
OpenSeas continues to attract more and more users each month as the single source of reliable information on New Zealand’s key commercial fish species.
With seventeen New Zealand fisheries recertified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in September, some 50 percent of New Zealand’s wild marine catch now holds this gold standard of sustainability...
This year’s sustainability round, announced by Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash (September 2018), saw 11 catch limits increase and 12 decrease.
A decrease in catch has very real consequences for fishing families and should not be taken lightly, however we must be prepared to act when stocks need to be rebuilt...
Fishing has always been an integral part of Jake McFedries’ life.
With a father who spent a fair amount of time recreationally fishing, McFedries practically grew up on the water. Being surrounded by boats and anglers and with his own love for the sea, McFedries knew he wanted to make a career out of fishing...
The Tasman Sea is warming at one of the fastest rates on earth, bringing widespread implications for the marine environment.
Despite New Zealand having one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in the world, there is limited information available to measure, monitor and predict how ocean warming will affect New Zealand waters.
The Moana Project has set out to address this...
New Zealand hoki quota owners proactively choosing to reduce catch
Quota owners in the New Zealand hoki fishing industry have announced today (26/9/2018) they have proactively chosen to reduce the amount of hoki they will catch next year, in response to changing patterns they are observing in one of the five hoki...
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Increased catches from deepwater fisheries supported by science Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash today (19/9/2018) announced his decisions on changes to fisheries catch limits from 1 October 2018. Thirty-two catch limits were reviewed in this sustainability round. Four deepwater fisheries were reviewed and each had their Total Allowable Commercial Catch... Read moreSustainability of New Zealand fisheries independently verified
Sustainability of New Zealand fisheries independently verified
[caption id="attachment_6428" align="alignnone" width="762"]
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 MSC-certified New Zealand hoki © Deepwater Group[/caption]
Seventeen New Zealand fisheries harvesting hoki, hake, ling and southern blue whiting have been re-certified against the gold standard for sustainable seafood, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
After a 12-month independent assessment... The Squid Fishery and New Zealand Sea LionsThe Squid Fishery and New Zealand Sea Lions[caption id="attachment_6371" align="aligncenter" width="604"] Figure 1: Location of sea lion breeding sites in New Zealand. The Auckland Islands breeding site is the one that intersects with the squid fishery. Source: DOC Threat Management Plan (left) and Tamzin Henderson (right).[/caption]
What’s causing the... Report on sea-trials of Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) to deter seabirds from risk of trawl net captureReport on sea-trials of Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) to deter seabirds from risk of trawl net captureJ Cleal and R Wells - 22 August 2018
BackgroundBetween 2000 and 2005 there was growing awareness and understanding of interactions between seabirds and deepwater trawlers (e.g. greater than 28m in length)...Skipper of the Month – Elle KibblewhiteSkipper of the month - Elle Kibblewhite
Elle Kibblewhite has plenty of sea-faring achievements to her name. At 16, Elle began working with her Dad, Richard, cray fishing and set netting on Splashzone 2 during the summer. She also gained her commercial electrician’s trade certificate.
Now 23, Elle has since gone... Choice matters: The environmental costs of producing meat, seafoodReposted - originally published on 11 June 2018 by Michelle Ma (mcma@uw.edu), University of Washington Posted with images: http://www.washington.edu/news/2018/06/11/choice-matters-the-environmental-costs-of-producing-meat-seafood/ Choice matters: The environmental costs of producing meat, seafoodWhich food type is more environmentally costly to produce — livestock, farmed seafood, or wild-caught fish? The... Leaked Risk Profile Reports Show MPI is Effectively Monitoring Fisheries ComplianceLeaked Risk Profile Reports Show MPI is Effectively Monitoring Fisheries ComplianceSummary
The definitive word on the leaked fisheries reports from MPI
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has announced that it is releasing historical reports dealing with compliance risk profiling of the southern blue whiting fishery.
In this video, MPI's manager of compliance investigations, Gary Orr, sets the record straight on recently leaked fisheries compliance risk assessment reports. These reports have been the subject of recent...
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Fisheries New Zealand launched
The newly launched Fisheries New Zealand (FNZ) will focus on stakeholder engagement and innovation. That was the message from the business unit’s new head Dan Bolger and Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash at the launch in early May. Bolger said there would be a focus on... Ocean Bounty season two underwayOcean Bounty season two underway Ocean Bounty, an hour-long documentary series on commercial fishing, began its second season on 13 May. It's a 13 episode series that screens on Three at 5pm each Sunday. Hosted by Graeme Sinclair, the show traverses New Zealand’s... Majority of New Zealand’s wild-caught seafood MSC certified as sustainable
With half of New Zealand’s total seafood production certified to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) sustainability standard and 70 percent of the deep water catch certified, New Zealand’s Deepwater Group (DWG) welcomes yesterday’s inaugural Sustainable Seafood Day, which marked the 20th anniversary of MSC’s establishment.
Opening last night’s event, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash highlighted MSC’s validation of...
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OpenSeas playbook launched
OpenSeas has released a playbook on the programme.
The comprehensive guide aims to help New Zealand seafood companies understand the range of tools available and find ways to best utilise the programme within their businesses.
Launched at New Zealand Seafood Industry Conference in 2017, OpenSeas is focused on presenting short, digestible pieces of information about the environmental,...
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Southern blue whiting TACC gets big bumpSouthern blue whiting TACC gets big bump Fishing for southern blue whiting at the Bounty Platform has been given a significant boost. The Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) for SBW 6B has been raised from 2,377 tonnes to 3,145 tonnes –... DWG collaborates with DOC to conserve sea lions
Scientists are using GPS technology and remote cameras to help them to better understand how to prevent New Zealand sea lion pups dying on Campbell Island.
They also tested the use of a drone to count sea lions and grey-headed albatross, and to produce aerial maps of their colonies.
Campbell Island is 700 kilometres south of Invercargill.
The...
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Fishermen endorse Industry Code of Conduct
Commercial fishermen have reinforced their support for the industry Code of Conduct.
The code was developed by Seafood New Zealand and endorsed by New Zealand’s major fishing companies to reinforce last year’s Promise media campaign.
The code is being taken on 13-port tour, having begun in Nelson in February and visiting Greymouth, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Whitianga...
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New technology deployed to prevent sea lion pup deathsScientists from the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Deepwater Group (DWG) say GPS technology and remote cameras are helping them better understand how to prevent sea lion pups from dying on the subantarctic islands. The rare New Zealand sea lion/rāpoka is listed as “Nationally Critical”, the highest risk classification. This season 1,792... Sage wants NZ sea lion decline reversed
(reposted from the NZ Herald)
22 Feb, 2018
/arc-anglerfish-syd-prod-nzme.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IGJAGEDRDFCMRITH52OSRXD2BE.jpg) Read more
MSC making changes
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is constantly reviewing and refining its standards and certification requirements. Deepwater Group is an active participant in these reviews and, alongside others from MSC-certified fisheries, is focussed on ensuring any changes are backed by science and work in the real world to support achievable sustainability outcomes.
In January, the MSC Trust...
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Environmental organisations unsure how science works
Recent attacks from environmental organisations on the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and New Zealand’s seafood industry have reached a new level of banality and predictability.
As MSC continues to succeed and to certify more and more of the well managed fisheries, particularly within the Western world, we can expect the stridency of NGOs to ramp up...
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Seafood industry welcomes considered approach to cameras on vessels
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© Rob Leslie[/caption]
Accusations that the fishing industry is responsible for any population decrease of Salvin’s albatross are untrue and has been dismissed by Deepwater Group chief executive, George Clement.
The claim was made by Forest & Bird in a bid to discredit the internationally respected... 
The consortium included government, industry,... 
Commercial fishers are welcoming the announcement that the implementation of the Integrated Electronic Monitoring and Reporting System (IEMRS) will be slowed down.
Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash said he has instructed Ministry for Primary Industries officials to look at options for readjusting the current IEMRS timeframes.
“Digital monitoring will give... 
Photograph by Peter Marriott/NIWA[/caption]
The seafood industry and the Ministry for Primary Industries continue to collaborate during the rollout of the Integrated Electronic Monitoring and Reporting System (IEMRS).
The seafood industry is working with MPI on expectations that appear to be unnecessary, unworkable or that will... 
Seabird experts migrated to New Zealand from throughout the world last month to discuss the most recent developments in science and conservation.
For two weeks, Wellington was home to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), a multilateral pact of 13 countries seeking to conserve... 
The Ministry for Primary Industries announced the adjustments as part of their twice-yearly fisheries sustainability review.
The orange roughy fishery - ORH3B Puysegur - south of Stewart Island has been reopened after the... 
The catch limit for the orange roughy Puysegur stock, a sub-stock of ORH 3B, has a proposed increase from 150... 
Decreases in hoki quota during the 2000s are paying dividends with large increases in both stocks over the last eight years.
These increases were outlined in the Ministry for Primary Industries recently-released report 
An annual southern Buller's albatross census on the Snares Islands has been successful with more breeding pairs counted and banded.
These remote islands, 120 km south of Stewart Island, are home to the main breeding grounds for this endemic albatross.
The survey was undertaken by scientist Paul Sagar, who like many...