The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is launching New Zealand’s first-ever Sustainable Seafood Week to celebrate the leadership of MSC certified fisheries in Aotearoa while empowering Kiwis to choose sustainable seafood to ensure we have seafood for generations to come.

Catch limits will be increased for 26 fisheries and reduced for three fisheries as part of a regular round of reviews designed to ensure ongoing sustainability of fisheries resources.

The big winner at the Seafood Sustainability Awards was a man who has spent almost 20 years working to protect seabirds and marine mammals in the commercial fishing industry.

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.

New Zealand sea lions are a national taonga. They were hunted to near extinction in the 1800s, but have been recovering since hunting was prohibited. Their threat classification has recently been upgraded from Nationally Critical to Nationally Vulnerable to reflect signs of population recovery, says Fisheries New Zealand Director of Fisheries Management, Stuart Anderson.

Trade Minister David Parker’s announcement of a successful upgrade of the NZ-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has been welcomed by the seafood industry.

The seabird bycatch has halved, to an estimated 4186 seabird deaths in the 2016-17 fishing year, compared to 8192 in the 2002-03 year.

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.

The Environment Aotearoa Report 2019, released today by the Ministry for the Environment and StatsNZ, shows the environmental performance of New Zealand’s seafood industry has improved markedly. Recognition of this is welcomed by the Deepwater Group, representing the deepwater seafood sector including quota owners harvesting hoki, hake, ling, southern blue whiting, squid, jack mackerel, orange roughy...

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...

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 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...

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 20^th anniversary of MSC’s establishment. Opening last night’s event, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash highlighted MSC’s validation of...

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,...

Southern 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 –...

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...

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...

Scientists 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...

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...

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...

The New Zealand seafood industry has welcomed confirmation by Stuart Nash, the Fisheries Minister, that the Government is reconsidering a proposal to install cameras on all commercial fishing vessels. Chief Executive of Seafood New Zealand, Tim Pankhurst, said the Minister’s statement that the Government will take a reasoned... Read more MSC Response to New Zealand Fisheries Article From Ecologist, dated 24 March 2017. "In its Right of Reply to our recent article questioning the sustainability of New Zealand fishing practices, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) explains its certification is based on current and not historical practices....." Read the full article here... Read more Fishing industry dismisses claim fishery should not be certified sustainable [caption id="attachment_6081" align="alignnone" width="604"] © 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... Read more Japan and NZ collaborate on seabirds New Zealand seabird experts met with a group from Japan to share information on seabird mitigation and bycatch in November. Five scientists from Japan's National Research Institute for Far Seas Fisheries met with various people closely involved in seabird incidental capture management. The consortium included government, industry,... Read more Changes needed to recreational fisheries management – report Peak bodies and recreational reporting were the big talking points when the New Zealand Initiative launched The Future Catch in Wellington. The report pushes for the establishment of an organisation to represent recreational fishers, in similar vein to Western Australia’s Recfishwest. The recommendation, and others, were made during a panel discussion featuring report author Dr Randall Bess,... Read more New dedicated fisheries entity announced A new fisheries-dedicated unit has been announced by the Government. The Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) functions are being reset, with four new portfolio-based entities announced, including Fisheries New Zealand, Forestry New Zealand, Biosecurity New Zealand and New Zealand Food Safety. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash said the change would improve the management of a valued resource. “The reorganisation... Read more A decade delivering sustainability Deepwater Group (DWG) celebrated more than ten years delivering healthy fisheries at their recent annual general meeting. Established in 2005, DWG was a merger of the hoki, squid and orange roughy management companies, with a mandate for delivering the best-managed deepwater fisheries in the world through progressive management and robust science. George Clement has been their chief... Read more Public perception of fisheries management at odds with international reputation – TNC New Zealand fisheries’ Quota Management System (QMS) is being presented as an international example by a prominent US-based conservation group.  The long established The Nature Conservancy (TNC), one of the world’s largest conservation organisations and a leader in coastal and marine management, last night released an extensive... Read more Research project to save sea lion pups Mud holes at Campbell Island (Blue Planet Marine, 2015) Deepwater Group (DWG) is funding a novel research project as a part of a field trip to monitor sea lion pups at the second largest breeding colony at Campbell Island. The New Zealand sea lion risk assessment showed... Read more IEMRS being slowed down 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... Read more Commercial fishermen support getting digital monitoring right Deepwater Group, which represent commercial fishermen in New Zealand’s deep-water fisheries, support the Labour Government’s decision to slow down the implementation of IEMRS (Integrated Electronic Monitoring and Reporting System) to ensure the new measures are effective.  The Labour Government has committed to implementing digital reporting and monitoring... Read more Comment | Scientists challenge sea lion research From The New Zealand Herald 23 October 2017 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11935905 A new study by Dr Stefan Meyer from the University of Otago, published in the NZ Heraldrecently, claimed to have "game-changing" new evidence linking the decline of New Zealand sea lions to the Auckland Islands squid fishery. As a group of scientists working... Read more Large-scale changes bring opportunity for further collaboration [caption id="attachment_5976" align="alignnone" width="604"] 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... Read more Experts flock to Wellington   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... Read more Fish stocks on the rise Increased biomass in red gurnard and orange roughy fisheries has seen a rise in catch limits. 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... Read more Another orange roughy success story An orange roughy fishery south of Stewart Island has been given the green light to reopen after 19 years. In 1998, the seafood industry agreed to cease fishing in the ORH3B Puysegur area to rest the fishery to allow stocks to rebuild. Over the past 19 years the industry... Read more Update on IEMRS Progress is being made with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) towards the considered and staged implementation of Integrated Electronic Monitoring and Reporting System (IEMRS). MPI’s high level objectives - to verify self-reporting of catches, to collect more information on catches, and to do so electronically - are supported by Fisheries Inshore New Zealand (FINZ) and... Read more Seabird Smart Award winners announced A fleet of West Coast surface long liners has been awarded the 2017 Seabird Smart Award. Altair Fishing Ltd was crowned for their commitment to seabird mitigation across their five vessels. Chair of the Southern Seabird Solutions Trust Bill Mansfield said “the vessels all use bird scaring lines, set their fishing lines at night, add weights to... Read more Squid Fishermen Support Management to Minimise Sea Lion Interactions The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has proposed changes to the management of the southern squid trawl (SQU6T) fishery to ensure any interactions with New Zealand sea lions continue to be minimised and to align with the findings in the joint Department of Conservation (DOC) and MPI New Zealand Sea Lion... Read more Orange roughy biomass surveys completed [caption id="attachment_5853" align="alignnone" width="604"] New Zealand orange roughy[/caption] Two acoustic biomass surveys of orange roughy were successfully completed in June-July 2017. These surveys were the result of a collaborative effort between government, scientists and industry. The two surveys were approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and designed by New... Read more Seafood assurance programme launched The New Zealand seafood industry now has a one-stop source for information. OpenSeas is a third-party verified, broad-based transparency initiative designed to enable customers of New Zealand seafood, primarily international customers, a single, comprehensive source of information about the environmental, social and production credentials of the New Zealand seafood industry. Read more Collaborative conservation a success at seafood conference Collaborative conservation was high on the agenda at the New Zealand Seafood Industry conference in Wellington last week. Speakers noted the success of the ongoing work between fishers, iwi, scientists, conservation groups and government to protect the marine environment and its wildlife. Department of Conservation Director-General Lou Sanson said New Zealanders have a strong connection to our... Read more COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY WORTH MORE THAN $4 BILLION TO NZ ECONOMY – BERL A new report from economic researchers BERL has confirmed the importance of the commercial fishing industry to New Zealand. The report, The economic contribution of commercial fishing to the New Zealand economy, shows commercial fishing is worth $4.18 billion to the New Zealand economy. Chief executive of Fisheries Inshore New Zealand, Dr Jeremy Helson, said exports alone... Read more One stop source for New Zealand seafood information launched A one-stop source for information on New Zealand seafood was launched at the New Zealand Seafood Industry conference in Wellington today. OpenSeas is a third-party verified, broad-based transparency initiative designed to enable customers of New Zealand seafood, primarily international customers, a single, comprehensive source of information about the environmental, social... Read more Seafood exports set to top $2 billion Seafood exports are predicted to hit a record $2 billion annually by 2020. That is according to the Ministry for Primary Industries 2017 Situation and Outlook report. Export revenue for the year to June 2017 is expected to be $1.8 billion, broadly in line with last year,... Read more Smart management to pay off for fishers After nearly 20 years of closure by industry, another orange roughy stock, this time off the bottom of the South Island, is about to be re-opened to fishing. The catch limit for the orange roughy Puysegur stock, a sub-stock of ORH 3B, has a proposed increase from 150... Read more Deepwater Group welcomes New Zealand Sea Lion Threat Management Plan The Deepwater Group, which represents New Zealand’s deepwater fishing sector, welcomes the New Zealand Sea Lion Threat Management Plan released today by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). This new Plan is based on a comprehensive risk assessment of the threats to... Read more Hoki stocks highest this century 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 The Status of New Zealand’s Fisheries 2016. Between 2001 and 2007, hoki quota was more than halved... Read more More breeding albatrosses at remote Snares Islands 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... Read more Seafood industry welcomes funding for endangered sea lions The announcement today that the Government will contribute $2.8 million over four years to fund further research into the mortality of sea lions has been welcomed by the seafood industry. Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister, Maggie Barry made the announcement a short time ago, and acknowledged the fishing... Read more “Roughy on the Rise” book launch speeches 11 April 2017 Nathan Guy; Tim Pankhurst; Darren Lovell; George Clement; Patrick Caleo.... Read more International fisheries scientists meet in Nelson to share world-leading ideas Press release: Deepwater Group Ltd, 3 April 2017 Scientists from more than 20 countries are meeting in Nelson this week for an international conference to discuss the latest advances in fisheries technology. This is the first time the global organisation ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) has held a conference in New Zealand and... Read more Seafood industry funds conservation expedition to Snares Islands Press release: Deepwater Group Ltd, 31 March 2017 A science expedition led by Paul Sagar is setting off to the Snares Islands for an annual survey of Southern Buller’s albatross, and while there also collecting Skua seabird poo for the Department of Conservation (DOC). The endemic Southern Buller’s albatross is unusual among albatrosses in that it breeds... Read more Sustainable New Zealand Seafood Promoted Press release: Deepwater Group Ltd, 31 March 2017 Australians are being told to choose New Zealand seafood on Sustainable Seafood Day, which will be celebrated on 31 March throughout Australia. This is because over 50% of New Zealand’s wild catch is now certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. Sustainable Seafood Day is an annual initiative... Read more Deepwater Group welcomes Kermadec research Press release: Deepwater Group Ltd, 16 February 2017 The discoveries of new species made by NIWA on a 20-day scientific voyage to the remote Kermadec region have been welcomed by deep sea fishers, who encourage further scientific exploration of this vast untouched ocean northeast of New Zealand. George Clement, Chief Executive of Deepwater... Read more Recent Comments by Inge Wisselink No comments by Inge Wisselink yet.