Fish natural resource accounts

Physical stock account | Monetary stock account | Physical flow account  |  Fish species articles

The fish accounts attempt to measure the size and use of the fish "resource" over time. The account's scope includes all non-commercial and commercial fish (including aquaculture). Freshwater fish are also included. Theoretically, the wide scope of the account has the potential to assist in analysis of New Zealand's fish resources. In practice, however, there are gaps in the data presented in the accounts, particularly for non-commercial fish species, freshwater species and stock size estimates.
 

The 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a good starting point when discussing the scope of New Zealand's fish resources. All fish resources within this zone are subject to New Zealand management. However, migratory species, such as tuna, that travel through New Zealand waters are also subject to international agreements. New Zealand based fishing companies also fish outside the EEZ boundary.
 

Most of New Zealand's commercial fish stocks are managed under the Quota Management System (QMS). The fish resource is renewable and generally of high commercial quality, but it is also limited in size, and would be subject to depletion unless managed carefully. The QMS was introduced in 1986 partly in response to the apparent depletion of New Zealand fish stocks.
 

New Zealand has shore conditions which make aquaculture production suitable in a number of areas. Greenshell Mussels is a significant export species derived from aquaculture.
 

Commercial fish export species of note include Hoki and Orange Roughy. Both species are caught all year round with Hoki mainly caught off the South Island, while Orange Roughy is most common on the Chatham Rise and the Challenger Plateau (off the Taranaki coast).
 

The fish stock account shows the composition of New Zealand's fish resource by species, how the resource changes annually, and the reason for the changes, as far as the available data allows. The stock account is presented in physical units (tonnes).

The fish flow account shows how the annual commercial fish resource harvest is processed through the economy and by which industries. The physical flow accounts will present the supply and use of fish commodities in standard volume units.
 

The physical account development work has identified a number of significant data gaps in the fish stock account, and much of the data that is available is of low quality. Also, the data that is in the fish physical stock account is generally readily available from other sources. It is quite likely that any monetary fish accounts would face similar issues if they were developed. Therefore, monetary estimates of fish stock and flow accounts will not be produced in the immediate future.
 

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Physical stock account

The physical stock account provides information on the physical stock of fish resources in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone for the period 1995 to 2000. It provides estimates of the annual quantity of five species for selected fishery areas. The account shows the changing level of fish resources, commercial and recreational catch, and allowable catch rates in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone over time.
 

The following file is available to download in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader you may download the reader to view or print the contents of this file.
 

Fish physical stock account.pdf (499 KB)
 

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Monetary stock account

The monetary stock account provides information on the asset value of

Physical flow account

The physical flow account provides basic information on the physical flows of several fish species into the New Zealand economy between 1998 and 2001. The physical flow account is linked to the physical stock account through the use of the commercially caught volume of fish from the physical stock account, forming the starting point of the flows analysed. The flow tables consist of simplified supply and use tables which present volume estimates in tonnes for several fish species.

The following file is available to download in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader you may download the reader to view or print the contents of this file.
 

Fisheries resource accounts.pdf (336 KB)

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Fish species articles

New Zealand's commercial fish species are a significant part of our country's natural resources.  These articles provide information about some of New Zealand's most important, and unusual, commercial fish and shellfish species.  In addition, articles will soon be available for blue cod, dredge oysters and kina.

For each species, you'll learn:

• where they are found
• what they look like
• how they are caught
• how much each species is worth
• how much is caught
• how much is exported.

These articles are a useful resource for anyone interested in the conservation and management of New Zealand's fish species.

Information is available for each species on a regional basis, by New Zealand's Quota Management Areas (QMAs).  A downloadable Excel spreadsheet contains regional data for 16 of New Zealand's commercial fish species, including groper, tarakihi, snapper and sharks.

The following file is available to download in Microsoft Excel 97 format.
If you do not have access to Excel 97 or higher you may use the Excel file viewer to view, print and export the contents of this file.

FishData based on QMS regions.xls (309 KB)

The following file is available to download in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader you may download the reader to view or print the contents of this file.