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The SBW 6B and SBW 6I trawl fisheries have been MSC certified since 2012. They passed their third surveillance audit in June 2022 and will be undergoing a reassessment in 2023.

To view Lloyd's Register's Surveillance Report August 2022 [click here].

DWG undertakes to make all non-confidential information that is provided to the Conformance Assessment Body publicly available on this webpage to ensure all documents are easily accessible by all participants.

A summary of the key information from these references can be found in the Situation Report. [click here]

MSC sets the highest independent science-based international seafood sustainability standards, covering three broad principles:

Principle 1 - SUSTAINABLE FISH STOCKS

"A fishery must be conducted in a manner that does not lead to over-fishing or depletion of the exploited populations and, for those populations that are depleted, the fishery must be conducted in a manner that demonstrably leads to their recovery."

The intent of this principle is to ensure that the productive capacities of the resources are maintained at high levels and are not sacrificed in favour of short-term interests.

Key P1 References

Doonan, I.J. (2020). Southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) stock assessment for the Campbell Island Rise for data up to 2018–19. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2020/43. 20 p. [click here]

FNZ (2023) Fisheries Assessment Plenary May 2023. Stock Assessments and Stock Status Vol. 3: Red Gurnard to Yellow-eyed Mullet. Southern blue whiting pp.1641-1670. [click here]

Large, K.; O’Driscoll, R.L.; Datta, S. (2021). Review and summary of the time series of input data available for the assessment of southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) stocks up to and including the 2020 season. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2021/40. 73 p.  [click here]

Large, K (2021b) Review and summary of the time series of input data available for the assessment of southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) stocks up to and including the 2019 season. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2021/14. 77 p. [click here]

Principle 2 - MINIMAL IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

"Fishing operations should allow for the maintenance of the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem (including habitat and associated dependent and ecologically related species) on which the fishery depends."

The intent of this principle is to encourage the management of fisheries from an ecosystem perspective under a system designed to restrain the impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem. 

Key P2 References

Anderson, O.F.; Ballara, S.L.; Edwards, C.T.T. (2017). Fish and invertebrate bycatch and discards in New Zealand orange roughy and oreo trawl fisheries from 2001–02 until 2014–15. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 190. 216 p.  [click here]

Anderson, O.F.; Edwards, C.T.T.; Ballara, S. (2019). Non-target fish and invertebrate catch and discards in New Zealand hoki, hake, ling, silver warehou, and white warehou trawl fisheries from 1990– 91 to 2016–17. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 220. 117 p. [click here] 

Abraham, E.R. & Thompson, F.N. (2015). Captures of protected species bycatch. Retrieved from https://psc.dragonfly.co.nz/ 

Baker, B. & Hamilton (2010). Assessment of the impact of incidental fisheries mortality on the Campbell Island New Zealand sea lion Phocarctos hookeri population using the Potential Biological Removal technique. [click here]

Baker, C.S.; Chilvers, B.L.; Childerhouse, S.; Constantine, R.; Currey, R.; Mattlin, R.; van Helden, A.; Hitchmough, R.; Rolfe, J. (2016) Conservation status of New Zealand marine mammals, 2013. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 14. Department of Conservation, Wellington. 18 p. [click here] 

Ballara, S.L. (2015). Fish and invertebrate bycatch in New Zealand fisheries from 1990–91 until 2012–13. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 158. [click here]

Edwards, C.T.T.; Peatman, T.; Goad D.; Webber, D.N. (2023). Update to the risk assessment for New Zealand seabirds. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 314. 66 p. [click here] 

Finucci, B., Stephenson, F., Petersen, G., Francis, M. and Pinkerton, M. (2020). Exploring the drivers of spatial distributions of basking sharks in New Zealand waters. POP2020-03 final report for the Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation. Prepared by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), 50 p. [click here]  

Finucci, B., Edwards, C.T.T., Anderson, O.F. & Ballara, S.L. (2019). Fish and invertebrate bycatch in New Zealand deepwater fisheries from 1990-91 until 2016-17. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 210. 77 p. [click here]

FNZ (2022). Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Annual Review 2021. Compiled by the Aquatic Environment Team, Fisheries Science and Information, Fisheries New Zealand, Wellington New Zealand. 779 p. [click here] 

FNZ (2023). 2023 Operational plan to manage the incidental capture of New Zealand Sea Lions in the Campbell Plateau Southern Blue Whiting Fishery (SBW 6I) [click here]

Francis, M. (2017). Review of commercial fishery interactions and population information for New Zealand basking shark. Prepared for Department of Conservation. 44 p. [click here]

Helson, J., Leslie, S., Clement, G., Wells, R. and Wood, R. (2010). Private rights, public benefits: Industry-driven seabed protection. Marine Policy 34, 557–566. [click here]

Leathwick, J.R.; Rowden, A.; Nodder, S.; Gorman, R.; Bardsley, S.; Pinkerton, M.; Baird, S.L.; Hadfield, M.; Currie, K.; Goh, A. (2012). A benthic-optimised marine environment classification (BOMEC) for New Zealand waters. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 88. 54p. [click here]

MacGibbon, D.J.; Mules, R. (2023). Extent and intensity of bottom contact by commercial trawling and shellfish dredging in New Zealand waters, 1990-2021. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 316. 174 p. [click here]

Middleton, D.A.J.; Guard, D.P. (2021) Summary and evaluation of the electronic monitoring programmes in the SNA 1 trawl and bottom longline fisheries. New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 2021/37. ISSN 1179-5352 (online) [click here] 

MPI (2016b). Performance of the 2016 southern blue whiting fishery and compliance with the SBW6I Operational Plan. MPI: Wellington [click here]

MPI (2019) Protecting New Zealand's Seabed from the impacts of bottom trawling.  [click here]

Pierre, J.P. and Goad, D.W. 2016. Improving tori line performance in small-vessel longline fisheries. Report prepared by JPEC Ltd and Vita Maris for the New Zealand Department of Conservation, Wellington. 34p. [click here]

Richard, Y. & Abraham, E.R. (2015). Assessment of the risk of commercial fisheries to New Zealand seabirds, 2006–07 to 2012–13. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report 162. 85 p. [click here]

Richard, Y. & Abraham, E.R. (2015a). Assessment of the risk of commercial fisheries to New Zealand seabirds, 2006–07 to 2012–13: Supplementary information. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report 162.  [click here]

Principle 3 - EFFECTIVE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

"The fishery is subject to an effective management system that respects local, national and international laws and standards and incorporates institutional and operational frameworks that require the use of the resource to be responsible and sustainable."

The intent of this principle is to ensure that there is an institutional and operational framework for implementing Principles 1 and 2, appropriate to the size and scale of the fishery. 

Key P3 References

DWG (2023). Operational Procedures. [click here]

FNZ (2019) Review of the National Plan of Action - Seabirds (2013). ISBN No: 978-1-99-001705-6 (online) [click here]

FNZ (2021) Medium Term Research Plan for Deepwater Fisheries 2021/22 – 2025/26 Fisheries New Zealand Information Paper No: 2021/16 ISBN No: 978-1-99-100999-9 (online). [click here]

FNZ (2020a) National Plan of Action – Seabirds 2020 Reducing the incidental mortality of seabirds in fisheries. ISBN No: 978-1-99-001762-9 (online) [click here]

FNZ (2020a) National Plan of Action – Seabirds 2020 Supporting document ISBN No: 978-1-98-859485-9 (online) [click here]  

FNZ (2022a) National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2022 Draft for Consultation [click here]  

FNZ (2022b) Review of NPOA Sharks 2013: Progress against Objectives and Actions [click here]

FNZ (2022c) Annual Operational Plan for Deepwater Fisheries 2022/23. Fisheries New Zealand Technical Paper No: 2022/01. ISBN No: 978-1-99-102697-2 (online) [click here]  

FNZ (2022d) Annual Review Report for Deepwater Fisheries 2020/21 Fisheries New Zealand Technical Paper No: 2022/02. ISBN No: 978-1-99-103941-5 (online) [click here]  

Ministry of Fisheries (2009). Fisheries 2030: New Zealanders maximising the benefits from the use of fisheries within environmental limits. [click here]

MPI (2011). Southern Blue Whiting: National Deepwater Fisheries Plan Chapter. 50 p. [click here] 

Surveillance Report

Lloyd's Register's Surveillance Report August 2022 [click here].