Fisheries

Balancing the sustainability of our fisheries stocks and the impacts of fishing on the environment with the economic opportunities

  • Snapper

    Fisheries research programmes

    NIWA's fisheries research sits within three research programmes.
  • RV Tangaroa in Wellington harbour, 2017

    Assessing fisheries

    NIWA is developing and applying standardised stock monitoring and assessment methodologies for New Zealand's deepwater, inshore, and freshwater fisheries. This will enable better monitoring and prediction of changes in fish population biology, fish stock biomass, and size and age composition.
  • Tagging sharks in Fiordland 2

    Tagging Fiordland sharks to monitor climate change

    Media release
    Tracking changes in broadnose sevengill sharks' behaviour in a warming climate.
  • Blue cod and kitten

    What do kittens and blue cod have in common?

    Media release
    Strange fish behaviour has been captured by NIWA scientists
  • Boat ramp surveys boost knowledge of recreational fishery

    Media release
    NIWA gathers information about fishing practices and the catch of an estimated 600,000 people who participate in recreational fishing every year.
  • (no image provided)

    NIWA Biodiversity Memoir 136 - The Marine Biota of Aotearoa New Zealand

    Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine biodiversity checklist has been updated, representing an increase of 3,630 known living species since the turn of the century.
  • Cyclone impacts on fisheries and seabed ecosystems - KAH 2303 & 2306

    Voyage
    Kaharoa Voyages KAH 2303 & 2306
  • Recreational fishing

    Research Project
    Understanding the trends in recreational fisheries is key to ensuring sustainable fisheries across the country.
  • Tonga_demersal_line_fishery-teaser_image.png

    Improved sustainability of the demersal line fishery in Tonga

    Research Project
    The Tongan deepwater demersal line fishery is a valuable source of income, livelihood, and social well-being for the people of Tonga. The fishery has a history of boom-and-bust cycles with fluctuating catches and poor economic returns.
  • NIWA unravelling impacts on marine life after Cyclone Gabrielle

    Media release
    NIWA are studying the ocean off Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay to see how Cyclone Gabrielle has impacted the health of fisheries habitats and seabed ecosystems.
  • NIWA solves seafloor mystery

    Media release
    NIWA scientists have discovered the origins of cryptic markings found in Aotearoa New Zealand’s deep sea.
  • Novel underwater selection tools for environmentally and economically sustainable fishing

    Research Project
    This NIWA-led, three-year project developed a high-tech protype system to minimise bycatch of unwanted species in trawl gear.