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International fisheries reporting
Some fish are managed under international agreements that New Zealand has signed up to. To catch these fish, you need to meet the requirements of the agreement. Find out about the requirements for these fisheries.
PERMIT REQUIRED TO FISH IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS
Operators of New Zealand-registered vessels must have a high seas fishing permit to catch or transport fish on the high seas. For some fishing areas in international waters, you need more than a high seas fishing permit.
Find out how to get a high seas fishing permit
Internationally managed fish species
Some fish species are managed under international agreements between countries. To catch these fish, fishers need to follow the specific requirements in the agreement. There are different organisations for each agreement. They cover different regions and different types of fish. These are called regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs).
Your requirements as a fisher will depend on what agreement you need to follow. This will depend on what you want to fish for, and where.
Your reporting requirements for different fisheries
New Zealand commercial fishers and exporters of internationally managed species must meet certain monitoring and reporting requirements.
Requirements can include:
- documenting your catches according to any relevant regional fisheries management agreements
- tagging southern bluefin tuna.
Find about tagging southern bluefin tuna
Read the requirements
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CCSBT – southern bluefin tuna
About CCSBT reporting
The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) is the regional fisheries management organisation that manages southern bluefin tuna. They make the requirements for southern bluefin tuna fishing. To meet these requirements, New Zealand commercial fishers must comply with the southern bluefin tuna catch documentation scheme (CDS). There are also some requirements for licensed fish receivers.
What licensed fish receivers need to do
These legal requirements under the CDS are covered in the Fisheries (Southern Bluefin Tuna Catch Documentation Scheme) Regulations 2017.
What fishers need to do
There are 2 main requirements for fishers under the CDS.
Learn how to tag southern bluefin tuna (SBT) correctly
This applies to all southern bluefin tuna, whether it's sold for export or domestically.
Markets in countries that follow CCSBT requirements will only accept southern bluefin tuna that are:
- tagged
- documented
- legally caught.
Southern bluefin tuna that New Zealand fishers catch under the CDS get managed through the Quota Management System (QMS). The QMS ensures that CCSBT monitoring and reporting requirements are met.
Find out more about the Quota Management System
What licensed fish receiver(s) need to do
The licensed fish receiver (LFR) that you supply your fish to must complete all necessary:
- catch tagging forms
- catch monitoring forms
- re-export/export after landing forms.
They must also send a copy of the forms to us. Send a copy of completed forms to Fisheries New Zealand:
HMS Fisheries
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6011
Read about licensed fish receiver requirements
The CDS helps with monitoring and tracking the tuna
The tagging and reporting requirements from the CDS help the CCSBT to:
- track trade
- monitor the southern bluefin tuna in the fishery
- prevent illegal fishing of the tuna.
ICCAT and IATTC – tunas and swordfish
New Zealand is not a member of the:
- International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
- Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).
However, it still cooperates with the trade schemes that these organisations put in place.
What you need to do
You'll need to use the 'NZ fish export statistical document' to meet the import requirements for:
- swordfish
- bigeye tuna
- northern Pacific bluefin tuna.
You'll need to do this whether the fish was caught in New Zealand waters or on the high seas.
If you don't do this, some ports might refuse the fish entry.
How to complete and submit the document
Download the export statistical document and use the instruction sheet to help you complete it.
New Zealand fish export statistical document [PDF, 317 KB]
New Zealand fish export document instruction sheet [PDF, 214 KB]
An MPI-authorised validator needs to stamp and sign this document. Number the document using the first 4 digits of your NZQA-authorised trade validator number/catch year/sequential report number for the year. For example, the document number would be 3333/1718/004 if:
- your NZQA number is 3333
- the fish are caught in the 2017 to 2018 fishing year,
- it is the fourth report.
Find out about trade validators
Send the original with the consignment, keep a copy for your files, and send a copy (by the 15th day of the month following the export) to:
Highly Migratory Species Fisheries
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6011
CCAMLR – Toothfish
Toothfish fisheries in the Southern Ocean are managed by the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Fishing vessels can only fish for toothfish in the CCAMLR Convention Area if they're approved and licensed by their respective countries.
See GIS maps of the CCAMLR Convention Area
Antarctic Marine Living Resources Permit required to fish in the Southern Ocean
To catch or transport Antarctic fish species in the CCAMLR Convention Area, New Zealand-registered fishing vessels operators must hold:
- an Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) permit, and
- a High Seas Fishing permit.
Find out how to get an AMLR permit
Find out how to get a high seas fishing permit
Reporting toothfish from the CCAMLR Convention Area
There are reporting requirements for toothfish caught from:
- the CCAMLR Convention Area [Anchor link to heading directly below]
- the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Convention Area
- the waters of New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
CCAMLR and SPRFMO toothfish reporting requirements
New Zealand commercial fishers fishing in the CCAMLR Convention Area must provide electronic reports of toothfish catch and effort to:
- the CCAMLR secretariat
- MPI.
New Zealand commercial fishers fishing using an AMLR permit must also:
- comply with the CCAMLR toothfish catch documentation scheme (CDS)
- produce reports that include:
- trip dates
- fish species caught
- estimated fish numbers and weight
- area where caught from
- any interactions with protected species
- movement of fish to or from another ship
- expected landing details.
New Zealand commercial fishers targeting toothfish in the SPRFMO Convention Area do not require an AMLR permit. However, they must follow the reporting conditions for fishing in the CCAMLR Convention Area.
Reporting toothfish caught from New Zealand waters
New Zealand commercial fishers fishing in the New Zealand exclusive economic zone (EEZ) must also:
- report toothfish catch through the CCAMLR reporting system, and
- comply with the CDS.
About the CCAMLR toothfish catch documentation scheme (CDS)
The CCAMLR toothfish CDS is used to track the:
- origin of catch
- amount of catch
- at-sea movements of catch
- global trade of toothfish product (all toothfish caught or landed in either international waters or within New Zealand’s EEZ requires catch documentation issued under the CCAMLR toothfish CDS).
This helps the CCAMLR to:
- combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
- ensure the sustainability of the toothfish fishery in the Convention Area
- ensure fishing vessels (flagged to their countries) in the Convention Area comply with the rules set annually by the CCAMLR.
Find out more about the CCAMLR toothfish CDS
MPI is the responsible government agency for administering the CCAMLR toothfish CDS in New Zealand.
What you need to do
There are reporting requirements for both toothfish caught from the CCAMLR Convention Area and from New Zealand waters.
Who to contact
If you have questions about the information on this page, email info@mpi.govt.nz
