Steps towards Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management in New Zealand

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Steps towards Ecosystem Based Fisheries
Management in New Zealand

• Rosemary Hurst
• National Institute of Water and Atmospheric
  Research Ltd.
• Pamela Mace
• Ministry of Fisheries
• Wellington, N.Z.

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Outline

• Introduction to NZ
• The developing legislative and policy framework
• The role of single species management
• Examples of progress with specific ecosystem
  management measures or initiatives

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NZ Management Region

• Large 200 nm EEZ
• 4 mill. km2 5th largest
• gt 16,000 marine species identified
• many unique to NZ
• 130 species commercially fished
• Many migratory species, including marine mammals
  and seabirds that depend on NZ breeding areas and
  feeding grounds

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Oceanography and Bathymetry

• Productivity influenced by location in the
  Pacific, bathymetry, ocean currents, and climate
• Subtropical to Sub Antarctic waters
• Large variety of marine habitats including
  plateaus, canyons, 800 seamounts, and a trench
  down to 10,000m 2nd deepest place
• About 35 of the EEZ is in trawlable depths
  (01500 m)

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Single species management

• 1978 200 nm EEZ declared
• 1983 Deepwater policy IQ on 7 key species
• 1986 the Quota Management System (QMS) ITQs on
  26 species
• Now 96 species across 628 fishstocks
• total TACC 573,000t actual catch 441,000t
• information to determine stock status on 20
  stocks (50 catch)
• Harvest Strategy Standard 2008

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Desired Fisheries Outcome
Environmental Standards
Information Input and Consultation Links with
other Environmental Instruments
Monitor effectiveness of the Strategy
Monitor and enforce performance
Information from Implementation
Achieve Environmental Standards through
fisheries management frameworks, including
through Fisheries Plans
Actual Fisheries Outcomes
Framework for managing the effects of fishing on
the aquatic environment
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Seabird Standard

• Pre-Standard National Plan of Action (2004),
  largely voluntary measures
• Standard Framework
• Risk management targets
• Ensure depleted populations re-build
• Potentially include incidental mortality
  objectives at the fishery level
• Link to current management measures mitigation
  devices

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Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

• To protect marine biodiversity with a
  comprehensive and representative network of New
  Zealands marine habitats and ecosystems and to
  protect habitats and ecosystems that are
  outstanding or rare
• Protection standard 2 levels no-take and
  limited extraction/damage
• Multi-agency approach
• Distinct from other closures with differing
  objectives
• Significant links to other ecosystem initiatives

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MPA

• Current focus territorial sea (12nm)
• Based on 14 Coastal Biogeographic regions
• First MPA plans begun west coast South Island and
  Sub Antarctic Islands slow progress
• Need to link with other spatial management
  measures, e.g. Marine Reserves (33)
• May lessen quota value or cause displacement of
  effort problems

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1. NZ Hoki fishery (Macruronus novaezelandiae)
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Marine Stewardship Council Certification

• Increased industry awareness of the need to
  engage and focus efforts on meeting international
  standards
• Areas where industry has done or is doing things
  that are above what government requires
• recent fur seal census
• developing more active engagement with
  environmental groups
• developing reference points and rebuilding
  strategy
• developing a 10 year research plan
• first Environmental Risk Assessment for any NZ
  fishery
• MSC impact on the significant reduction in
  seabird catch and support for research
  initiatives on benthic effects and trophic
  studies is unclear

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NZ sea lions -bycatch limitation (Phocarctus
hookeri)

• endemic species, limited breeding sites on Sub
  Antarctic Islands
• population threatened, current size 10,000
• incidental drownings in squid trawl fishery
  around Auckland Is.
• voluntary industry sealion excluder devices
  (SLEDs) survival rate difficult to determine

Photo Louise Chilvers (DoC)
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NZ Sea lion bycatch limit

• Annual fishing-related mortality limit (FRML)
  comes from an operational management procedure
• current FRML 2 0.02577 observed pups in
  previous two years
• control rule is based on detailed population
  model and extensive simulations
• Goal is to maintain the population at 90 of the
  zero-fishing level, 90 of the time
• FRML is translated to allowable tows, using
  assumed catchability of trawls and mortality
  rates in SLEDs and trawls
• current season limit is 95

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Dolphin exclusion areas(Cephalorhynchus hectori)

• Hectors and Mauis dolphins (vulnerable and
  critical)
• Small inshore coastal species with a limited home
  range
• Estimated about 7600
• Setnets main threat
• Area restrictions on setnet and trawl
• 2009 first time observers used extensively on
  small inshore vessels to monitor interactions

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Seamount Closures (2000)

• 1200 seamounts, knolls and hills (UTFs)
• 19 represeantative seamounts were closed to
  bottom trawling and dredging
• 18 unfished
• 1 fished Morgue recovery being monitored

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Morgue - remnant cold water coral reefs (2001
cf. 2006)
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Graveyard - recovery small Stylasterids
(hydrocorals) 2001 cf. 2006
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Benthic Protected Areas (2007)

• Industry initiative
• Protect 30 of the EEZ seabed from the use of
  bottom trawling and dredging activity
• Represent about 90 of all the areas currently
  under some form protection from fishing
• No implementation of MPAs in EEZ (12200nm) to
  2013 not yet clear if BPAs will fit MPA
  definition

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Benthic Protected Areas (BPA)

• 20 class Marine Environment Classification 2005,
  based mainly on physical variables but incl.
  research trawls
• BPA based on 9 oceanic classes, protects 10 of
  each class
• Current research incl. invertebrates in the MEC
  and fine scale analysis of bottom trawl
  footprints

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BPA and seamounts

• 28 of Underwater Topographical Features
• 52 of seamounts (underwater mountains gt 1000 m
  in height)
• 88 of active hydrothermal vents
• Off-bottom trawl fishing is permitted to within
  100 metres with strict controls

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Conclusions EBFM Progress

• Ability to limit and control capacity and fishing
  mortality key first step towards EBFM
• QMS and ITQs effective at reducing capacity and
  maximising efficiency
• Significant development of frameworks and
  approaches that will contribute to ecosystem
  management
• Biodiversity and SMEEF strategies
• Variety of protected areas and protected species
  management initiatives Standards under
  development
• MSC Certification
• Key challenges
• Co-ordinated frameworks that effectively links
  strategies and measures
• Plugging important information gaps catching
  sectors and effects of fishing and biodiversity
  research

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Acknowledgements

• NIWA Malcolm Clark, Paul Breen, Suze Baird, Andy
  McKenzie
• Ministry of Fisheries, Steve Halley, Aoife
  Martin, Jeremy Halsen, Martin Cryer
• SeaFIC Kevin Stokes, David Middleton