Meet the fishers

Meet the New Zealand hoki fishers

New Zealand hoki was the world’s first large, whitefish stock to receive the MSC ecolabel, first certified as sustainable in March 2001.

Hoki is New Zealand's most abundant commercial fish species and this hoki fishery is one the largest fisheries in New Zealand, with 250,000 tonnes of hoki produced annually of which the majority is exported to valuable markets in the US, EU, Japan and Australia.

 “The recertification of the New Zealand hoki fishery provides independent assurance that this fishery remains amongst the best managed and most sustainable fisheries in the world.  We welcome this final decision after a two-year process and embrace sustainable fisheries management as a process of continual improvement...Consumers can continue to choose New Zealand hoki with the confidence that the fisheries remain sustainably managed.”

George Clement
Deepwater Stakeholder Group

Commercial success

The “green” benchmark MSC standard has set the New Zealand hoki fishery apart by acknowledging and rewarding its responsible management practices. The MSC ecolabel has proved a growing competitive advantage in export markets where consumers worry about over-fishing and its ecological and social consequences. It has helped the hoki fishery secure its position in these important, environmentally aware markets.