The New Zealand hoki fishery has entered re-assessment under the MSC’s program for well-managed and sustainable fisheries.
New Zealand’s largest commercial fishery, the NZ hoki fishery was first certified to the MSC’s environmental standard in March 2001. It was then reassessed and recertified again in 2006, and will now undergo another in-depth assessment before the current five-year certificate expires.
This reassessment will re-examine the sustainability of the target fish stock at the fishery, the environmental impact of its fishing operations and the management and governance systems that are in place, to ensure they continue to meet the MSC requirements for certification.
NZ hoki are caught using pelagic trawls (mid-water) during the winter spawning season, and bottom trawls at other times of year. The main fishing grounds for NZ hoki are on the Chatham Rise (east of the South Island) and in the Sub-Antarctic and seasonally off the West Coast of the South Island, in Cook Strait.
The volume of hoki taken from this fishery varies depending on the allowable catch set by the NZ Ministry of Fisheries each year. In the last fishing year that ended in September 2011 the fishery produced nearly 120,000mt, and this figure has been upgraded to 130,000mt this coming year as a result of the rebuilding of stocks in recent times.
Deepwater Group CEO, George Clement, says: “New Zealand's hoki fishery is recognised as one of the best sustainably managed trawl fisheries in the world. Independent verification of this through the MSC program is an integral part of our quality verification. The NZ hoki fishery was the third fishery ever to gain MSC certification back in 2001, and this has allowed us to benchmark our improvements and remain confident that our management practices continue to be world leading.”