Science Centres: Fisheries

The international treaty organisation charged with conserving marine life in Antarctica (CCAMLR) is considering whether to adopt a NIWA model as its standard method for fish stock assessment.

CCAMLR has 24 member states whose aim is to conserve marine life in the Southern Ocean, while allowing some harvesting to be carried out in a rational manner.

NIWA’s model, CASAL, is already being used for a dozen species in New Zealand, including hoki, orange roughy, and dredge oysters, and CCAMLR is considering using it to assess Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish in the Ross Sea, Heard Island, and South Georgia fisheries.

NIWA works closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to represent New Zealand’s interests at CCAMLR meetings. Our input includes scientific advice on the ecological effects of fishing, catch limits, inter-relationships between species (for example, feeding and diet), and seabird and non-fish bycatch interactions.