Fisheries observers
Our observers collect independent information on board commercial fishing vessels about fishing catch and effort, fishing activity, and effects of fishing on the environment. Find out about the information they collect, what you need to do if an observer is on your vessel, and our planned observer days.
What fisheries observers do
Fisheries New Zealand places observers on vessels commercially fishing in New Zealand waters and the high seas, if landing to New Zealand (under international agreements). They independently confirm catch and effort to catch fish and collect a range of information including:
- data on fish being caught, fish processing and fishing activity
- information about marine mammal and bird interactions
- biological information for stock assessment
- unusual specimens for museums
- information about vessel safety and employment.
Independent catch and effort data
Observers collect independent data to compare to fishing vessel data. They keep a separate catch and effort logbook, recording:
- catch calculations and amounts for all species caught
- details of fishing operations such as:
- start and finish times
- positions
- fishing and bottom depths
- devices and practices to protect non-targeted species
- catch data for each tow or set.
Data collected for other agencies
Observers collect information for Fisheries New Zealand as well as for the:
- Department of Conservation (under the Conservation Services Levy)
- National History Unit of the Museum of New Zealand
- Maritime New Zealand
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- New Zealand fishing industry
- Commission for the Conservation of the Antarctic Marine Living Resources
- Conversion Factors Working Group – a joint Fisheries New Zealand and industry working group
If an observer is on your vessel
If we ask you to take an observer on your fishing vessel, then you must carry one as a condition of your fishing permit. You must provide them with:
- food
- accommodation
- access to the vessel, records, fish, crew, and equipment
- full access to communication devices on the vessel
- help to complete their duties.
Observers aren't enforcement officers, but they must record any potential offences they observe.
2020-2021 observer seadays plan
Each year, Fisheries New Zealand and the Department of Conservation plan the number of observer days needed at sea for different fisheries and clients. The 'seadays plan' is for 1 July to 30 June each year.
The following tables show the current number of sea days planned for each fishery and the total delivered up to 31 December 2020.
Inshore fisheries
| Fishery | Stock management and environment (Fisheries NZ) | Conservation (DOC) | Total planned | Total completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast North Island set net + bottom long-line + trawl | 115 | 115 | 230 | 244 |
| Snapper 1 (SNA1) trawl - Standard | 109 | 109 | 218 | 79 |
| Snapper 1 (SNA1) trawl-PSH | 60 | 60 | 120 | 51 |
| Tarakihi 2 (TAR2) trawl | 77 | 77 | 154 | 31 |
| South Coast South Island set net | 90.5 | 90.5 | 181 | 47 |
| East Coast South Island set net - Kaikoura | 142 | 142 | 284 | 38 |
| East Coast South Island set net - Otago | 66.5 | 66.5 | 133 | 46 |
| East Coast South Island trawl - TMP | 120 | 120 | 240 | 163 |
| East Coast South Island trawl - TAR | 196.5 | 196.5 | 393 | 45 |
| South Coast South Island trawl | 64 | 64 | 128 | 29 |
| Bottom long line - (SNA1) | 187.5 | 187.5 | 375 | 110 |
| Bluenose/hapuku and bass 1 (BNS/HPB1) bottom long line | 50.5 | 50.5 | 101 | 34 |
| Set net - BNS1 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 23 | 0 |
Middle-depth (MD) fisheries
| Fishery | Stock management and environment (Fisheries NZ) | Conservation (DOC) | Total planned | Total completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern blue whiting | 360 | 90 | 450 | 254 |
| Squid | 1280 | 320 | 1600 | 146 |
| West Coast North Island FOVs | 212.5 | 37.5 | 250 | 120 |
| West Coast South Island FOVs | 318.75 | 56.25 | 375 | 441 |
| Chatham Rise Middle Depth FOVs | 340 | 60 | 400 | 85 |
| Sub-Antarctic Middle Depth FOVs | 403.75 | 71.25 | 475 | 252 |
| West Coast North Island Domestic | 42.5 | 7.5 | 50 | 87 |
| West Coast South Island Domestic | 170 | 30 | 200 | 229 |
| Chatham Rise Middle Depth Domestic | 361.25 | 63.75 | 425 | 314 |
| Sub-Antarctic Middle Depth Domestic | 153 | 27 | 180 | 56 |
| Hoki Cook Strait | 85 | 15 | 100 | 80 |
| WCSI Hoki-Inside the line | 85 | 15 | 100 | 95 |
| Scampi 6A | 160 | 40 | 200 | 200 |
| Scampi Other | 140 | 35 | 175 | 60 |
| LIN BLL >34m | 85 | 15 | 100 | 64 |
| Ling BLL <34m | 170 | 30 | 200 | 81 |
Deepwater (DW) fisheries
| Fishery | Stock management and environment (Fisheries NZ) | Conservation (DOC) | Total planned | Total completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Island Deepwater | 67.5 | 7.5 | 75 | 31 |
| Chatham Rise Deepwater | 225 | 25 | 250 | 132 |
| Sub-Antarctic Deepwater | 67.5 | 7.5 | 75 | 43 |
| West Coast Deepwater | 54 | 6 | 60 | 49 |
Highly migratory species
| Fishery | Stock management and environment (Fisheries NZ) | Conservation (DOC) | Total planned | Total completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic tuna longline - North Island STN | 131.75 | 23.25 | 155 | 139 |
| Domestic tuna longline - South Island STN | 119 | 21 | 140 | 42 |
| Domestic SLL - North Island BIG/SWO | 97.75 | 17.25 | 115 | 0 |
| Domestic SLL - South Island BIG/SWO | 17 | 3 | 20 | 0 |
| Domestic purse seine | 61.2 | 10.8 | 72 | 12 |
| Domestic purse seine (super seiner) | 25.5 | 4.5 | 30 | 0 |
Other
| Fishery1 | Compliance | Requested days/permit requirements (industry) | Total planned | Total completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance | 100 | 100 | 32 | |
| High risk vessels | 0 | 0 | 115 | |
| Medium risk vessels | 50 | 50 | 0 | |
| CCAMLR1 | 265 | 265 | 291 | |
| SPRFMO1 bottom long line | 250 | 250 | 214 | |
| SPRFMO1 Exploratory bottom long-line | 50 | 50 | 21 | |
| SPRFMO1 Exploratory bottom long-line | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| West coast North Island trawl survey | 30 | 30 | 33 | |
| WCPFC1 surface long-line | 10 | 10 | 0 | |
| Vessel specific conversion factor | 30 | 30 | 27 |
1CCAMLR – Commission for the Conservation of the Antarctic Marine Living Resources, SPFRMO – South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, WCPFC – Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Management Commission
| Fishery | Stock management and environment (Fisheries NZ) | Conservation (DOC) | Total planned | Total completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training | 680 | 120 | 800 | 262 |
Observer pre-placement health and safety assessments
Commercial fishing vessels need to pass a health and safety assessment before an observer can board for departure. This will help Fisheries New Zealand meet its obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
Fisheries New Zealand staff will assess a vessel before the observer is deployed. This should give the owner the opportunity to mitigate health and safety issues without it being held in port.
For now, a pre-placement health and safety assessment must always be performed before an observer boards for departure. To reduce the disruption that assessments may cause, Fisheries New Zealand is developing a risk assessment process to determine how often assessments are needed. This will make sure everyone meets their health and safety obligations with the least disruption.
Fisheries New Zealand has developed assessment forms for both inshore and deep water vessels. Fishers should read these to ensure they understand what inspections will involve.
Deep water pre-placement health and safety assessment form [PDF, 196 KB]
Inshore pre-placement health and safety assessment form [PDF, 183 KB]
Previous seadays plans
2019-2020 observer seadays [PDF, 130 KB]
2018-2019 observer seadays [PDF, 45 KB]
2017-2018 observer seadays [PDF, 360 KB]
2016-2017 observer seadays [PDF, 358 KB]
Who to contact
If you have questions about observers, email info@mpi.govt.nz