New Zealand has drastically reduced the total allowable catch (TAC) for hoki by 44 per cent from October 1, dropping it from 180,000 tonnes to 100,000, in an attempt to rebuild the deepwater hoki industry.
Growing concern, according to press reports, had already brought the government to introduce the commercial catch by 10 per cent to 180,000t -- at the industry's request.
Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope says that 2004 stock estimates showed that urgent action needs to be taken and that he has set the lowest of three options put to him. "It does match the reality the industry faces. It is vital to give the stock every chance of rebuilding as fast as possible. The gradual reductions in catch allowances made in recent years have not arrested its decline... a more significant cut is needed now."
He has also confirmed reports in the press which said some hoki fishermen had ignored an industry agreement and were working in no-go hoki spawning grounds.
He was quoted as saying Ministry of Fisheries satellite-tracking technology had confirmed a number of vessels had apparently breached the no-go area and were fishing areas with high levels of juveniles.
Obligation towards sustainability
He said: "I am anxious to see that the industry acts responsibly and collectively to manage all potential risks given the current state of the fishery I have a statutory obligation to protect the sustainability of the species and that will be paramount in the decisions I make. The industry must shape up or accept that consequences are inevitable."
Many companies have already adopted voluntary measures to reduce capacity. In August, Nelson-based company Sealord Group, which holds 30 per cent of the national hoki quota, announced it was voluntarily withdrawing from a key fishing ground to let the fishery rebuild.
The body responsible for running the fishery, the Hoki Fishery Management Company, has helped to cut juvenile mortality off the Chatham Islands, where scientist believe the mixing of juvenile hoki from both eastern and western populations takes place.
Stocks on the eastern side of the South Island are judged to be at sustainable levels. Hoki is the most important species for Nelson's fishing industry and is worth about NZ$300 million (€162m) a year in national export earnings.
