Sealord Group Ltd

Sealord welcomes sustainable fishing announcement

Today’s announcement by the Minister of Fisheries setting new fisheries quota has been welcomed by one of the country’s largest quota holders.

The Hoki Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) has been increased by 10,000T, while catch limits for two Orange Roughy fisheries have been reduced in line with scientific and industry recommendations to ensure a sustainable fishery.

Sealord has access to around 19% of the total commercial fishing quota (around 119,000 green weight tonnes) and 30% of Hoki quota. In 2010 Hoki was New Zealand’s second most valuable seafood export, earning the country $172 million.

“Scientific data and good fisheries management is the key to sensible quota allocations. The outcome is a win for New Zealand’s sustainable fisheries and our positive global reputation,” said General Manager of Harvest Operations, Colin Williams.

“New Zealand hoki is becoming more widely recognised as a sustainable seafood choice, it has been certified as sustainable by the independent global experts, the Marine Stewardship Council,” says Colin.

New Zealand’s quota management system has been in place for 25 years and allows the Ministry to assess stock levels of species and set a Total Allowable Commercial Catch limit for each species on an annual basis using the best science available.

Working with industry, scientists and government agencies means that changes can be made to ensure the health of fish stocks enabling future generations to benefit from one of New Zealand’s primary assets.

New Zealand’s seafood industry sustainably harvests about 600,000 tonnes from wild fisheries and aquaculture each year. The value of this harvest ranges from $1.2 to $1.5 billion per annum. Seafood exports consistently rank as New Zealand’s fourth or fifth largest export earner.

New Zealand’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) is the fourth largest in the world but 65% of it is too deep to fish or is closed to commercial fishing.

ENDS

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