Towards a deeper understanding of New Zealand deepwater fisheries

The Deepwater Group made a presentation at the New Zealand Seafood Conference held in August 2022, setting some of the facts straight about New Zealand’s bottom fisheries.

New Zealand ranks among the top 5% of ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) fisheries in the world, with 19 deepwater fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as being sustainable. This is the result of significant efforts to reduce bycatch and harm to protected species including a 99% reduction in common dolphins being caught by bottom trawlers, and a 90% reduction in fur seal captures from bottom fishing vessels.

 New Zealand has closed 31% of its EEZ to bottom fishing, with 91% having never been trawled. The annual trawl footprint is confined to only 1.1% of New Zealand’s EEZ, with nearly 90% of seamounts (underwater features extending more than 1000m above the seabed) being closed to trawling or having never been trawled. This protected area amounts to 4.5 times our total land area.

 Annually, deepwater fisheries produce approximately 700 million servings of seafood, and contribute $2.7 billion to the New Zealand economy. This provides a source of protein that has a greenhouse gas emission footprint that is smaller than beef, dairy and soy.

 For more information on New Zealand’s deepwater fisheries, please view the Deepwater Group’s presentation Towards a Deeper Understanding. 

If you have any questions about New Zealand fisheries or fisheries law in general, please contact Peter Dawson by email peter@maritimelaw.co.nz; phone +64 27 229 9624.