Review of sustainability measures – October 2022 round

Update – 27 September 2022

Following consultation, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has made decisions on sustainability measures for selected fish stocks as part of the October 2022 sustainability round.

We have released:

Stocks affected in this round

In this sustainability round decisions were made in relation to Total Allowable Catches (TACs), non-commercial allowances, and Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACCs) for 20 fish stocks with an October fishing year. Decisions were also made on deemed value rate adjustments for 8 October fishing year stocks. All of these changes will come into effect at the start of the new fishing year on 1 October 2022.

Further cuts for East Coast tarakihi limits to rebuild numbers faster

Decision letter and advice papers

The Minister's decision letter provides further details and reasons for each of these decisions.

The Decision letter – Minister for Oceans and Fisheries [PDF, 449 KB]

Review of sustainability measures for the 2022 October round – Fisheries New Zealand decision paper [PDF, 6.3 MB]

Review of sustainability measures for East Coast tarakihi for 2022/23 – Fisheries New Zealand decision paper [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Public submissions received during consultation

Submissions received during consultation on the October 2022 round Part 1 [PDF, 10 MB]

Submissions received during consultation on the October 2022 round Part 2 [PDF, 13 MB]

Submissions received during consultation on East Coast tarakihi [PDF, 12 MB]

Summary table of the minister's decisions

Species	Stock (area)	Change	Decision summary
Hoki	HOK 1 - All of New Zealand (excludes Kermadec)	¯	Maintain the TAC at 111,140 tonnes. Maintain the TACC at 110,000 tonnes. Maintain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing each at 20 tonnes. Maintain the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 1,100 tonnes.
Gemfish	SKI 3 - Entire South Island, Chatham Rise	↑	Increase the TAC from 848 to 1,103 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 839 to 1,091 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 1 and 0 tonnes, respectively. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 8 to 11 tonnes.
Gemfish	SKI 7 - West Coast of the South Island and off Taranaki and Wellington	↑	Increase the TAC from 848 to 1,103 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 839 to 1,091 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 1 and 0 tonnes, respectively. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 8 to 11 tonnes.
Scampi	SCI 1 - East Coast of Auckland and Northland, Bay of Plenty	↑	Increase the TAC from 139 to 153 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 132 to 145 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 0 tonnes. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 7 to 8 tonnes.
Tarakihi	TAR 1* - Auckland and Northland	↓	Decrease the TAC from 1,333 to 1,259 tonnes. Decrease the TACC from 1,045 to 978 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 73 and 110 tonnes, respectively. Decrease the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 105 to 98 tonnes.
	TAR 2 - East Cape, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington	↓	Decrease the TAC from 1,658 to 1,387 tonnes. Decrease the TACC from 1,350 to 1,104 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 100 and 73 tonnes, respectively. Decrease the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 135 to 110 tonnes.
	TAR 3 - East Coast South Island	↓	Decrease the TAC from 1,060 to 793 tonnes. Decrease the TACC from 936 to 694 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at each at 15 tonnes. Decrease the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 94 to 69 tonnes.
	TAR 7* - West Coast South Island and Cook strait	↓	Decrease the TAC from 1,154 to 1,121 tonnes. Decrease the TACC from 1,024 to 994 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 5 and 23 tonnes, respectively. Decrease the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 102 to 99 tonnes.
Rough skate	RSK 8 - West Coast North Island	↑	Increase the TAC from 24 to 43 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 21 to 37 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing each at 1 tonne. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 1 to 4 tonnes.
Smooth skate	SSK 8 - West Coast North Island	↑	Increase the TAC from 23 to 60 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 20 to 53 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing each at 1 tonne. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 1 to 5 tonnes.
Blue warehou	WAR 2 - East Cape, Hawke’s Bay and East Coast of Wellington	↓	Set the TAC at 297 tonnes. Decrease the TACC from 577.835 to 260 tonnes. Set the allowance for customary Māori fishing at 5 tonnes. Set the allowance for recreational fishing at 6 tonnes. Set the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 26 tonnes.
Blue warehou	WAR 8 - Taranaki and West Coast of Wellington	↓	Set the TAC at 174 tonnes. Decrease the TACC from 232.8 to 160 tonnes. Set the allowance for customary Māori fishing at 2 tonnes. Set the allowance for recreational fishing at 4 tonnes. Set the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 8 tonnes.
Blue cod	BCO 7 - West Coast and Top of South Island	↓	Set the TAC at 157 tonnes. Decrease the TACC from 70.005 to 58 tonnes. Set the allowance for customary Māori fishing at 27 tonnes. Set the allowance for recreational fishing at 58 tonnes. Set the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 14 tonnes.
West Coast South Island multi-species fishery	SNA 7 - West Coast and Top of South Island	↑	Increase the TAC from 645 to 768 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 350 to 450 tonnes. Increase the allowances for customary Māori fishing from 20 to 30 tonnes. Retain the allowance for recreational fishing at 250 tonnes. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 25 to 38 tonnes.
	GUR 7 - West Coast and Top of South Island	↑	Increase the TAC from 1,422 to 1,582 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 1,298 to 1,450 tonnes. Retain the allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 17 and 42 tonnes, respectively. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 65 to 73 tonnes.
	SPO 7 - West Coast and Top of South Island	¯	Maintain the TAC at 373 tonnes. Maintain the TACC at 298 tonnes. Maintain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 15 and 33 tonnes, respectively. Maintain the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 27 tonnes.
Red gurnard	GUR 3 - East Coast South Island, Southland, Sub-Antarctic, Chatham Rise	↑	Increase the TAC from 1,614 to 1,695 tonnes. Increase the TACC from 1,500 to 1,575 tonnes. Retain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing at 3 and 6 tonnes, respectively. Increase the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing from 105 to 111 tonnes.
Rig	SPO 3 - East Coast South Island, Southland, Sub-Antarctic, Chatham Rise	¯	Maintain the TAC at 766 tonnes. Maintain the TACC at 660 tonnes. Maintain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing each at 20 tonnes. Maintain the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 66 tonnes.
Attached bladder kelp	KBB 3G - East coast South Island	¯	Maintain the TAC at 1,238 tonnes. Maintain the TACC at 1,236.8 tonnes. Maintain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing each at 0.1 tonnes. Maintain the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 1 tonne.
Attached bladder kelp	KBB 4G - Chatham Islands	¯	Maintain the TAC at 274 tonnes. Maintain the TACC at 272.8 tonnes. Maintain allowances for customary Māori fishing and recreational fishing each at 0.1 tonnes. Maintain the allowance for all other sources of mortality caused by fishing at 1 tonne.

* Note: the reductions for TAR 1 and TAR 7 are entirely from the eastern portions of the quota management areas.

Changes to deemed value rates from 1 October 2022

Species (stocks)	Summary of changes
Rough and smooth skates - RSK 8, SSK 8, West Coast North Island ↑	Interim and annual deemed value rates have been increased for RSK 8, SSK 8, SPO 3 and TRE 1. Interim and annual deemed value rates have been reduced for SNA 2, KIN 3, KIN 7 and KIN 8. The special differential schedule has been adjusted for TRE 1 The differential schedule for SNA 2 has been adjusted, moving from special to standard rates. The differential schedules for KIN 3, KIN 7 and KIN 8 have been adjusted, moving from standard to special rates.
Rig - SPO 3, East Coast South Island, Southland, Sub-Antarctic, Chatham Rise ↑
Snapper - SNA 2, East Cape, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington ↓
Trevally - TRE 1, East Coast of Northland, Auckland, and Bay of Plenty ↑
Kingfish - KIN 3, East Coast South Island, Southland, and Sub-Antarctic ↓
Kingfish - KIN 7 & 8, All of West Coast ↓

Species (stocks)

Summary of changes

Rough and smooth skates - RSK 8, SSK 8, West Coast North Island

↑

Interim and annual deemed value rates have been increased for RSK 8, SSK 8, SPO 3 and TRE 1.
Interim and annual deemed value rates have been reduced for SNA 2, KIN 3, KIN 7 and KIN 8.
The special differential schedule has been adjusted for TRE 1
The differential schedule for SNA 2 has been adjusted, moving from special to standard rates.
The differential schedules for KIN 3, KIN 7 and KIN 8 have been adjusted, moving from standard to special rates.

Rig - SPO 3, East Coast South Island, Southland, Sub-Antarctic, Chatham Rise

↑

Snapper - SNA 2, East Cape, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington

↓

Trevally - TRE 1, East Coast of Northland, Auckland, and Bay of Plenty

↑

Kingfish - KIN 3, East Coast South Island, Southland, and Sub-Antarctic

↓

Kingfish - KIN 7 & 8, All of West Coast

↓

Other changes from 1 October 2022

The Minister made decisions relating to catch limits and allowances for 3 other October fishing year fish stocks as part of the 2022 April sustainability round (HPB 7, HPB 8 and RBT 7). The changes decided in that round will also come into effect on 1 October 2022. Details of those changes can be viewed on the April sustainability round consultation page below.

Review of sustainability measures for selected fish stocks – April 2022 round

We asked for your feedback

Fisheries New Zealand consulted on proposed changes to sustainability measures for a range of fish stocks as part of the October 2022 sustainability round. We invited feedback from tangata whenua, stakeholders, and the public on these proposed changes.

About the proposed changes

Fisheries New Zealand reviews catch limits for selected stocks twice a year. This is consistent with the requirement that Fisheries New Zealand ensures the sustainable use of fisheries resources.

In this round Fisheries New Zealand consulted on changes to catch limits, allowances, and deemed values for 20 different fish stocks around the country, and on standalone deemed value changes for an additional 5 fish stocks.

The proposals for each stock in this round were assessed:

in the context of the relevant statutory requirements
using the best available information, including the latest scientific information on the status of the stocks and tangata whenua and stakeholder input.

Full details are in the consultation documents. We've also prepared a summary of the proposals

Consultation documents

Review of Sustainability Measures for Hoki (HOK 1) for 2022/23 [PDF, 1 MB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Scampi (SCI 1) for 2022/23 [PDF, 551 KB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Gemfish (SKI 3 and SKI 7) for 2022/23 [PDF, 788 KB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Blue Warehou (WAR 2 and WAR 8) for 2022/23 [PDF, 1.2 MB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Rough Skate (RSK 8) and Smooth Skate (SSK 8) for 2022/23 [PDF, 974 KB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Blue Cod (BCO 7) for 2022/23 [PDF, 974 KB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for the FMA 7 mixed trawl fishery (Snapper - SNA 7, Rig - SPO 7 and Red Gurnard - GUR 7) for 2022/23 [PDF, 1.3 MB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Red Gurnard (GUR 3) for 2022/23 [PDF, 1.3 MB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Rig (SPO 3) for 2022/23 [PDF, 765 KB]
Review of Sustainability Measures for Attached Bladder Kelp (KBB 3G and KBB 4G) for 2022/23 [PDF, 793 KB]
Review of Deemed Value Rates for Selected Stocks for 2022/23 [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Related consultation

Fisheries New Zealand is running a separate consultation on changes to East Coast tarakihi stocks (TAR 2, TAR 3 and the east portions of TAR 1 and TAR 7) for the 1 October 2022 fishing year.

Review of east coast tarakihi sustainability measures for 1 October 2022

Summary of the proposals

Table 1: Summary of stocks proposed for reviews of catch limits, allowances and deemed values as part of the 1 October 2022 sustainability round.

Species	Stock (area)	Proposal	Rationale for review
Hoki	HOK 1 - All of New Zealand (excludes Kermadec)	↓	The 2022 HOK 1 stock assessment estimated the western stock to be below the management target range (35-50% B₀). Fisheries New Zealand is proposing an option to decrease the Total Allowable Catch (TAC), Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) and western stock catch limit of HOK 1 to move the western stock back within the target management range in a shorter timeframe.
Scampi	SCI 1 - East Coast of Auckland and Northland, Bay of Plenty	↑	An updated Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) analysis indicates that scampi abundance in SCI 1 has increased since 2019, and in its last accepted assessment, the stock was estimated as very likely to be above management target. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to increase the TAC and TACC for SCI 1 to provide for greater utilisation.
Gemfish	SKI 3 & 7 - Entire South Island, Chatham Rise, West Coast off Taranaki and Wellington	↑	CPUE analyses have suggested an increase in biomass of SKI 3 and SKI 7 in recent years. The TACs and TACCs of both stocks were increased in 2019 and in 2021. Since those increases were implemented, landings have continued to increase, and the best available information indicates that biomass is likely to continue to increase. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to increase the TACs and TACCs of SKI 3 and SKI 7 to enable greater utilisation of the stocks.
Rough and smooth skates	RSK 8 & SSK 8 West Coast North Island	↑	Catches of RSK 8 have been consistently above the TACC since the stock’s introduction to the QMS in 2003. Catches for SSK 8 have exceeded the TACC since 2007/08 and have been particularly high in the past five years. These trends in catches could suggest that there is an opportunity to provide for increased utilisation and that the current TACCs may no longer be appropriate. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to increase the TACs, TACCs and deemed values for both RSK 8 and SSK 8 to align with recent trends in the fisheries and provide for greater utilisation.
Blue warehou	WAR 2 & WAR 8 Taranaki, Wellington, East Cape, Hawke’s Bay	↓	Commercial landings WAR 2 and WAR 8 have been trending downwards over the past decade and in the last fishing year, WAR 2 and WAR 8 landings were <10% and 30% of the TACC, respectively. While current catch levels are unlikely to pose sustainability risks, there is uncertainty as to whether catches would be sustainable if the TACCs were fully utilised. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to set the TACs and allowances for WAR 2 and WAR 8 and decrease the TACC to ensure catches remain sustainable in the future.
West Coast South Island multi-species (snapper, red gurnard and rig)	SNA 7, GUR 7 & SPO 7 West Coast and Top of South Island	– / ↑	Recent stock assessments and other information suggests that there is an opportunity to provide for greater utilisation of SNA 7 and GUR 7. Rig is caught as associated bycatch in these fisheries, so an adjustment to management settings of SPO 7 may also be appropriate in line with changes to utilisation of those stocks. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to increase the TACs and TACCs of SNA 7 and GUR 7, and an option to adjust the TAC, allowances and TACC for SPO 7 in line with best available information on the fishery.
Blue cod	BCO 7 - West Coast and Top of South Island	↓	BCO 7 is an important domestic shared fishery. While recent surveys suggest the overall abundance of blue cod has remained fairly stable since 2017, the fishery is below the target biomass and all indicators point to fishing pressure reducing the size and abundance of blue cod in the main fishing area of the Marlborough Sounds. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to set the TAC and allowances of BCO 7, and to decrease the TACC to reduce fishing pressure. Fisheries New Zealand is also seeking feedback on whether other measures, such as extending the closed season or voluntary approaches, would help recovery of the stock towards its management target.
Red gurnard	GUR 3 East Coast South Island, Chatham Rise, Southland, Sub-Antarctic, Rakiura and Fiordland	↑	Recent assessments for East Coast South Island trawl species indicate that the GUR 3 stock has continued to increase in abundance since the stock was last reviewed in October 2020 and there is an opportunity to provide for greater utilisation. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to increase the TAC, TACC, and allowances for GUR 3 to enable greater utilisation of the stock.
Rig	SPO 3 East Coast South Island, Chatham Rise, Southland, Sub-Antarctic, Rakiura and Fiordland	↑	Recent assessments and biomass estimates for rig in SPO 3 are variable and uncertain, however, they indicate biomass in SPO 3 could be increasing. Fisheries New Zealand is seeking feedback on whether there is an opportunity for a modest increase in the TAC and TACC of SPO 3.
Attached bladder kelp	KBB 3G & 4G - East coast and Chatham Islands	↓	Bladder kelp has an important role in coastal and marine ecosystems and provides critical habitat for other important marine species. Information since these stocks were included in the QMS suggests the spatial extent of the kelp beds in KBB 3G and 4G has declined. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing options to lower the TACs and TACCs for KBB 3G and 4G to ensure that commercial harvests remain sustainable in the future.

Table 2: Summary of stocks proposed for standalone deemed value reviews as part of the 1 October 2022 sustainability round.

Species	Stock (area)	Proposal	Rationale for review
Snapper	SNA 2 – East Cape, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington	↓	SNA 2 deemed value rates are much than rates for the adjacent SNA 8 stock and there are no sustainability concerns with this stock. A reduction in deemed value is being proposed to account for these factors.
Trevally	TRE 1 - East Coast of Northland, Auckland and Bay of Plenty	↑	Landed price for TRE 1 has more than doubled in the last 5 years while deemed value rates have remained unchanged. An adjustment to TRE 1 deemed value rates is being proposed to account for these factors.
Kingfish	KIN 3 – East Coast South Island, Southland and Sub-Antarctic	↓	Ongoing range expansion of kingfish means that the current deemed value rates for KIN 3 may not create appropriate incentives for fishers to land catch. As a result, an adjustment to the KIN 3 deemed value rate is proposed.
Kingfish	KIN 7 & KIN 8 - All of West Coast	↓	Deemed value rates for KIN 7 and 8 are well above landed price and may not create appropriate incentives for fishers to land catch. An adjustment is being proposed to account for these factors.

Legal overview

Our legal overview of sustainability measures provides the main legal requirements as they relate to decision-making on sustainability measures. It also references the relevant provisions in the Fisheries Act 1996.

Legal overview of sustainability measures [PDF, 287 KB]

Related information

Fisheries Act 1996 – NZ Legislation

Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000 – NZ Legislation

About the Quota Management System (QMS)

The Harvest Strategy Standard

Operational Guidelines for New Zealand's Harvest Strategy Standard [PDF, 843 KB]

The Deemed Values Guidelines [PDF, 896 KB]

Glossary of relevant terms

National Fisheries Plan for deepwater and middle-depth fisheries [PDF, 1.4 MB]

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation