Fisheries

Understanding the potential effects of Antarctic toothfish fisheries on Ross Sea ecosystem

NIWA will be determining the impact of fisheries on the aquatic environment. This will inform an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management and the development methods to mitigate this impact.

NIWA aims to develop and apply standardised methodologies to monitor and assess international fisheries outside the New Zealand EEZ and determine the environmental effects of fishing in these areas.

NIWA is developing and applying standardised stock monitoring and assessment methodologies for New Zealand's deepwater, inshore, and freshwater fisheries.

NIWA aims to provide the key science services required by the national and international fisheries sectors and their industry partners.

The main aim of the surveys is to estimate the abundance of hoki and other commercially important species (such as hake and ling), but during the 20 consecutive surveys NIWA scientists have also been able to study other aspects of deepwater biodiversity on the Chatham Rise, including fish distribution, abundance, and ecology.

Since European settlement there have been many changes in land use in New Zealand, with large forested areas having been cleared for human habitation and agriculture.

We need information on the food web structures of our marine ecosystems in order to manage the effects on the ecosystem of fishing, aquaculture and mining, as well as understanding the potential impacts of climate variability and change on our oceans.