NIWA aims to provide the key science services required by the national and international fisheries sectors and their industry partners.
We intend to help them meet their objectives and obligations, as well as be at the forefront of developing new and improved capability that will result in improved and more cost-efficient monitoring. NIWA's fisheries research sits within three research programmes.
Our primary stakeholders include the Ministry of Fisheries, Department of Conservation, fishing industry, Māori, recreational fishing sector, and related NGOs. These stakeholders require robust stock monitoring and assessment, and environmental impact assessment, to inform their work.
Our expertise includes:
- Fish abundance and productivity
- Population modelling and risk analysis
- Estimation of sustainable harvest levels
- Fish ageing, biology and ecology
- Impact on non-target species
- Recreational and customary catches
- Environmental impacts and mitigation strategies
- Ecosystem approaches to fisheries
- Data management.
Fisheries research programmes
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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. -
International fisheries
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. -
Fisheries & ecosystems
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.