Sustainability notes

This is an overview of how the New Zealand hoki fishery scored in assessment against the MSC standard. For the certifiers evaluation please download the full public certification report with detailed information on the performance of this fishery against the criteria of the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing.

The fishery scored as follows in assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. The highest possible score for each principle is 100 and a fishery must score at least 80 against each principle to get certified:

Sustainability strengths

Some of the points on which the fishery scored over 90 are outlined below.

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• New Zealand hoki are identified easily making monitoring and managing effective.
• The stock assessment models used are appropriate for the species and capture the major features of the biology of the species and the nature of the fishery.

Principle 2: the impact of the fishery on the marine environment

• There is very little gear loss in the fishery and thus very little ‘ghost fishing’. The gear types involved are large and the nets and other components (such as ground ropes, bobbins etc.) are expensive to replace. Gear damage is common but regular repair and maintenance is undertaken to maintain efficiency.

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• The fishery is managed in a manner that observes legal and customary rights.

Challenges

In order to ensure its continuing sustainable operation this fishery made a commitment to improving its performance where it scored between 60-80. Some of the actions the fishery has committed to are:

• Further research required on the trophic interrelationships of hoki at a range of age/size classes.
• A long term research plan to be developed for hoki within 18 months of certification to provide understanding of fluctuations in target and non-target species, effectiveness of harvest strategies, effect of fishing on the ecosystem etc.