Seafood industry celebrated at the Seafood Sustainability Awards
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.
Top quality seafood has been slashed in price in an effort
to support iwi during COVID-19.
Sealord and Moana New Zealand have been providing their
products at discounted prices – up to 70 percent off their retail value – with
iwi purchasing...
Fishing and the environment - it shouldn't be an either/or
This week’s release of the National Plan of Action on seabirds was the result of three years of discussions between industry, eNGOs, Fisheries New Zealand and the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Fisheries management is actually working, global analysis shows
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.
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.
Seafood New Zealand chief executive, Tim Pankhurst, said China was...
Seafood Industry
Welcomes Our Marine Environment Report
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.
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.
The recovery of orange roughy stocks is gathering pace.
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 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...
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.
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...
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...
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[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 capture
J Cleal and R Wells - 22 August 2018
Background
Between 2000 and 2005 there was growing awareness and understanding of interactions between seabirds and deepwater trawlers (e.g. greater than 28m in length)...
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...
Leaked Risk Profile Reports Show MPI is Effectively Monitoring Fisheries Compliance
Summary
Two confidential internal Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) reports that profiled compliance risks in the hoki and southern blue whiting fisheries during 2011 and 2012 were leaked to the media.
Media reports claim that these reports reveal wholesale misreporting in these deep water fisheries...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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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...
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...
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...
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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.
[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...
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...
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...
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...
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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...
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...
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...
[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...
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.
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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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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... 
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... 
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... 
/arc-anglerfish-syd-prod-nzme.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IGJAGEDRDFCMRITH52OSRXD2BE.jpg)
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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...