Latest news with #ChathamRise
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Warnings resurface over iconic fish
Orange Roughy Photo: Mountains to Sea The country's deep-sea darling - the orange roughy - is once again at the centre of controversy. Once hailed as the "white gold" of our oceans, this elusive, slow-growing fish is fast becoming a symbol of what happens when demand outweighs caution. It has led to our largest orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country's total catch, being on the brink of collapse. The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) says it will not rule out closing it. Conservationists say the fishery, known as East and South Chatham Rise (ESCR), is in a dire state, with more than 80 percent of the original orange roughy population wiped out. The stock assessment, which is basically the science on how many fish are in the area, puts the population at between eight and 18 percent of its original size - 10 percent is considered the collapse of a fishery. "We are either at the collapse point or, no matter how you look at it, we are on the brink of it. It's pretty serious in that area," says business journalist Andrew Bevin, who has covered this story extensively for Newsroom. "It looks like the New Zealand government has let orange roughy [get] to the brink of extinction, once again, and that's insane because we have been through this before. "There's been no shortage of warnings over the last, let's call it 40 years of orange roughy fisheries. You know, there was a gold rush in the late 80s, early 90s, and then they realised things aren't going well." That led to some fisheries shutting down back then. The fish could not keep up with the nets. Fisheries New Zealand promised lessons had been learned, quotas were tightened, and the fish were left to recover. And to be fair, some have. But not all. That has prompted the MPI to begin consultation on this year's orange roughy catch limit, which includes the option to close ESCR. The other options include reducing the catch limit by 23 percent, 42 percent or 60 percent. Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa co-chair Barry Weeber tells The Detail that "the jury's still out as to whether it's possible to sustainably fish orange roughy". "It keeps getting worse over the years, and every time the projections are that the fishery might be recovering, it always gets worse. "I think the history of fisheries in New Zealand has been that the orange roughy fishery hasn't been managed well, it hasn't been managed carefully." The fishery lost its Marine Stewardship Council's 'sustainable' tick in 2023 after a stock survey revealed declining catch rates instead of the projected stock recovery. And this month, the Environmental Law Initiative took the former Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Rachel Brooking, to court over the mismanagement of the wider Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery. The case was heard in the High Court in Wellington last week. "The industry has brought it onto themselves with the situation they have got now because of the things they have done in the past," Weeber says. The final decision on MPI's options, which are open for public feedback until the end of this month, comes down to Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones. "He hasn't shown himself to be a great supporter of sustainability in his rhetoric," Weeber says. "He's been involved in fishing and sustainability for over 40 years, and he should actually be more aware of the issues and impacts." Weeber also questions the role of bottom trawling for the species. "With bottom trawling, it's basically like you are running a bulldozer along the bottom [of the ocean floor]. "New Zealand is the only country that's still fishing via bottom trawling in the South Pacific... we could stop bottom trawling. "We need to be smarter about the way we fish." Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Conservation group calls for Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery closure, bottom trawling ban
An orange roughy. Photo: Mountains to Sea A conservation group says the country's largest orange roughy fishery is "past the brink" of collapse - but shutting parts of it down will not be enough to save it. The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has begun consultation on this year's orange roughy catch limit, and has included the option to close the East and South Chatham Rise fishery. In the early '80s and '90s, 20,000-30,000 tonnes of orange roughy were pulled out of the ocean every year in the area that spans the Chatham to the sub-Antarctic Islands - known as the Chatham Rise or ORH 3B. But an MPI review this year estimated some orange roughy populations had reduced by up to 90 percent. The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition said closing a section of the Chatham Rise fishery was a start, but not enough - and wanted to see a blanket ban on bottom sea trawling in all orange roughy breeding grounds. Meanwhile, a case over orange roughy management decisions in 2023 will wrap up on Wednesday at the High Court in Wellington. Citing the years following the "gold rush" of the '80s and '90s, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition's Karli Thomas said the proposal to shut down parts of the orange roughy fishery was nothing new. However, she said the current proposal was significant, given the size of the fishery, and a first in recent years. After reducing the catch limit by 40 percent in 2023 - from 7967 to 4752 - due to sustainability concerns, MPI is asking for feedback on further reductions for the Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery. The options include a catch limit reduction by 23 percent, 42 percent or 60 percent, with the fourth option seeing the closure of the sub-fishery, the East and South Chatham Rise, and the fastest return to healthy stock levels. Thomas said her group would submit in support of the fourth option - but was sceptical that alone would save the fishery when modelling suggested some parts of it were already collapsed. Deep Sea Conservation Coalition's Karli Thomas. Photo: Supplied / Deep Sea Conservation Coalition "We're definitely past the brink. "All the modelling is showing that 80 percent of the population has gone, in some cases more than 90 percent is gone, and that's generally considered the point of collapse for a fishery." She said the fishery's "disastrous state" was a reflection of poor management and wanted to see a complete ban on bottom sea trawling of the fish's breeding grounds and habitat - the impacts of which, she said, were two-fold. "Its habitat is being destroyed, because bottom trawls basically plough through coral gardens , and secondly these fish are being targeted in the very places - the seamounts (underwater mountains) - they go to breed. "So, if we're also disrupting their life cycle - the fish really just don't stand a chance." She said a single orange roughy trawl brought up six tonnes of coral last year. MPI director of fisheries management Emma Taylor said bycatch of that scale, while unfortunate, was very rare. "There are a range of measures in place to minimise the effect of fishing on coral and other habitats, including closures to prevent dredging and trawling on 32 percent of New Zealand's seabed." Despite a catch limit of 4752 tonnes in the 2023-2024 year, only 2691 tonnes of orange roughy were reportedly caught. The figures followed a gradual increase in catch limit size, after a quota low of 3600 tonnes in 2012-2013. A MPI survey of orange roughy stock at the East and South Chatham Rise in 2023 found stock levels were either "flat or declining" - and inconsistent with a previous assessment. That assessment was later rejected. Taylor said the uncertainty about the state of the orange roughy stock led to the precautionary and significant 40 percent catch limit reduction. The management decisions in 2023 are currently being challenged in the High Court at Wellington, with the Environmental Law Initiative claiming the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries failed to consider the harmful effects of bottom trawling in the Chatham Rise. A video still showing orange roughy swimming up to one kilometre below the surface off the South Island. Photo: SUPPLIED Taylor said in the time since, there had been significant work done to update the model used to assess the fishery, "as well as acoustic surveys and other research into the state of the fishery". New information showed more needed to be done to put the "fishery back on track to meet sustainability targets", she said, and Fisheries New Zealand was asking for public feedback on a range of options - including closure. A May 2025 assessment estimated orange roughy stock levels between 8-18 percent of the original biomass (population). The target management range is 30-50 percent. Taylor said orange roughy fisheries had been closed in the past due to concerns about sustainability, as had other fisheries. "Following this consultation, we will prepare advice for Fisheries Minister Shane Jones to make decisions on any changes, which would come into effect for the fishing year starting 1 October 2025." Consultation runs until 28 July. The orange roughy, which lives at depths of up to 1.5km, is slow growing and can live up to 120-130 years - with some reaching more than 200 years-old. Thomas said their long life cycle made them particularly vulnerable to overfishing. She said although they began breeding in their mid-twenties to thirties, it was not until they were in their seventies or eighties that they spawned every year. She said the ocean had an amazing ability to recover, but it would likely take a human lifetime for the orange roughy to bounce back. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
27-06-2025
- Scoop
Greenpeace Activists Rebrand NZ Bottom Trawler "Ocean Killer" At Sea
Greenpeace Aotearoa activists have confronted a bottom trawler on the Chatham Rise, rebranding it "ocean killer", after bearing witness to it hauling in a net straining with marine life. Launching from the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior, activists came alongside the New Zealand-flagged ship, Talley's Amaltal Atlantis, on the Chatham Rise on Friday afternoon, and painted the message on its hull with non-toxic paint. Speaking from onboard the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Juan Parada says: "Appalled by the most recent evidence of destruction, people defending the oceans rebranded this Talley's vessel today to expose the bottom trawling industry for what they are: ocean killers. When Talley's bottom trawlers drag their heavy trawl nets across the seafloor and over seamounts, they bulldoze everything in their path, including killing precious marine life from coral to fur seals, dolphins and seabirds."We've all seen the shocking footage of bottom trawling in David Attenborough's film Ocean, and it's happening right here, right now." "Faced with a fishing industry that profits from trashing the ocean, and a government that condones bottom trawling, we're proud of the peaceful action taken today to call out this destruction and demand that bottom trawling stop. "The Amaltal Atlantis trawls in the waters of Aotearoa, and has previously received permits to trawl in the High Seas of the South Pacific. Their trail of destruction is wide and long-lasting," says Parada. Talley's vessels have a long history of carrying out bottom trawling destruction. In 2018, the Amaltal Apollo trawled in a protected area on the Lord Howe Rise, in the international waters of the Tasman Sea. The Amaltal Mariner was also convicted of trawling in a marine reserve off Kaikōura in 2019. The company also has a documented history of health and safety issues, with multiple injuries and even a fatality reported to WorkSafe. In 2022, Greenpeace activists blocked the Amatal Atlantis from leaving Port Nelson for nearly 10 hours. The at-sea action comes just weeks after it was revealed a New Zealand vessel dragged up six tonnes of coral in a single trawl on the Chatham Rise, known for being a hotspot for coral life. In March, Greenpeace Aotearoa documented swathes of destroyed coral in areas of the Tasman Sea intensively trawled by New Zealand bottom trawlers. The Tasman Sea has been earmarked for one of the first high seas ocean sanctuaries, using the Global Ocean Treaty. New Zealand is the only country still bottom trawling in the High Seas of the Tasman. Parada says, "As the rest of the world moves towards more comprehensive ocean protection for international waters, New Zealand is standing in the way of progress by continuing to advocate for the bottom trawling industry."It's time Talley's, the trawling industry, and the government listened to the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who want ocean health valued over industry profits. "From depleted fish numbers to smashed coral, dead sharks and seabirds, the cost of bottom trawling is too high. To protect the ocean for the future and safeguard the ocean we all love, bottom trawling must stop." In response to the activist's painting activity, Talley's responded saying they would seek legal action which "may include the arrest of the Rainbow Warrior."
