Acoustic data on spawning southern blue whiting were collected along 38 transects in 4 snapshots south of the Bounty Islands from FV Tomi Maru 87 between 21 and 26 August 2015. The biomass estimate for 2015, based on the average of snapshots 2 and 4, was 6726 t (CV 42%). This was 43% lower than the estimate from 2014 (11 832 t), and the lowest in the industry acoustic time-series. This fishery is still dominated by the 2002 and 2007 year-classes, but a mode of young fish was also present.

This report provides the provisional estimates of the sales of tree stocks and the areas of commercial forest planted in 2016. It also provides a tentative estimate of mānuka seedling sales and the area planted.

The western stock was estimated to be 40–79% B0 and the eastern stock 44–75% B0 (values are 95% CIs for the base case). Under current catches the eastern and western biomasses are likely to increase slightly over the next five years.

The 2016 NZ Colony Loss Survey seeks to quantify colony losses over winter 2016. It also seeks to augment the 2015 NZ Colony Loss Survey by providing additional data for monitoring bee health over time and for investigating emerging challenges for the apiculture industry and those industries that rely on pollination services.

Southern hemisphere porbeagle shark catch, effort, and biological data from Japanese fisheries were analysed to provide information for stock assessment, as part of a New Zealand – Japan collaboration. Methods were developed to explore logbook shark reporting reliability, which was found to increase sharply in 2008. Size was found to be strongly associated with sea surface temperature. Catch rate analyses provided indices for three areas from the eastern Atlantic to the western South Pacific.

Report on a review of the Primary Growth Partnership and New Zealand avocado industry funded "Go Global" Programme. December 2016

This paper reports on initiatives that have been taken to improve the welfare of young calves and the impact these initiatives have had on the mortality rate of young calves prior to slaughter. This includes the impact of industry‐led initiatives and the Animal Welfare (Calves) Regulations 2016 on calf welfare and mortality rates in the 2016 spring calving season.

Photographic and trawl surveys of scampi in SCI 6A were conducted in February/March 2016. The photographic survey estimates of scampi and burrows both showed an increase on the 2013 estimate. The trawl survey estimate reflects a marked reduction from 2013, but an enforced vessel change raised questions over comparability with the previous series. Almost 3900 scampi were tagged and released to investigate growth and some animals have been recaptured by industry.

Tarakihi population length and age compositions were estimated from inshore bottom trawl surveys on the east coast South Island (ECSI) and Bay of Plenty (BOP). The aim was to investigate temporal trends in age composition, and to determine whether there were spatial differences in length and age between shallow and deep water.

This report summarises MPI’s regulatory activities in the last quarter of the 2016 (1 October 2016 – 30 December 2016).