Download FAR 2025/43 Trawl survey of hoki and middle-depth species in the Southland and Sub-Antarctic areas, November–December 2024 (TAN2413)

This report provides results from the 21st summer trawl survey of hoki, hake, and ling in the Sub-Antarctic carried out from 23 November to 23 December 2024. Seventy-three of the 78 planned stations were completed.

When compared with the previous survey in 2022, biomass estimates in the core survey area (200–800 m depths) were up by 62% for hoki, up by 1% for ling, and up by 23% for hake. The precision target for hoki was not met but targets were met for ling and hake.

The hoki length and age distributions were mainly adult fish, very few 2+ fish were present (2022 year class, 45–58 cm), but there was a small yet distinct cohort of 1+ fish. The strong cohort of 1+ hoki from 2020 are still present as 5+ fish. The hake and ling length and age distributions were broad, with few juvenile fish.

The acoustic estimate of midwater fish abundance in 2024 was lower than that in 2022 and below the average of the time series.

A total of 240 species or species groups were caught and 30 740 fish, chondrichthyans, or squid of 90 different species were measured. Weights were taken from 12 167 individuals. For all species caught on the survey, abundance estimates and other data are available online at the Trawl Survey Information Portal https://tsip-uat.niwa.co.nz/home.