Data on the overlap and possible interaction between hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin, Megadyptes antipodes) distribution and commercial fishing activities in the South Island were compiled. Data included: species landings, and catch and effort data for the 2008–09 to 2019–20 fishing years; east coast South Island winter trawl survey data from 1991 to 2021; observer data for the fishing years 1999–2000 to 2020–21.

Variables that could potentially influence non-protected species bycatch in surface longlining were assessed. For example, seabird captures were influenced by variables such as moon phase and start month, as well as fishing behaviour-related variables, such as whether the tori line was over the bait entry point. A main conclusion from a post-hoc workshop was that a set of mandatory variables is required to reduce data scarcity limiting the assessment of mitigation measures.

This report gives a protocol for Type 1 monitoring of Marlborough Sounds salmon farms and fits within broader best management practice guidelines for assessing benthic enrichment. It provides a standardised approach for science providers who undertake rapid benthic health assessments around these farms. Type 1 monitoring is the least intense form of monitoring with greater emphasis on qualitative indicator variables that can be rapidly evaluated enabling quick feedback on benthic health.

This is a guidance document to inform the development and implementation of benthic monitoring of salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. It was first published in 2015, revised in 2019, and further revised in this version after an out-of-cycle review in 2022. It aims to provide consistent and clear requirements for the benthic monitoring and management of existing farms, based around an agreed set of environmental quality standards with accompanying rationale.

This work reassesses the potential impact of historical setnet fishing on Māui dolphin, replicating previous analyses in combination with updated catch rate estimates. Catch rates for Hector’s dolphin around Banks Peninsula have been applied to Māui dolphin, and aerial surveys conducted in 2012/13 resulted in Hector’s dolphin abundance estimates that were greater than those from boat-based surveys conducted in 1998–2000. As such, catch rates may be much lower than estimated previously.

Benthic invertebrate communities on the Graveyard Knolls have been monitored over a period of 20 years, with photographic surveys of six features with a mixture of fishing histories. Multivariate analyses indicate little change in overall community patterns on five of the six features. However, on ‘Morgue’ which was heavily fished until its closure in 2001, there are indications that community structure might be changing and that branching stony corals are either regrowing or recolonising.

This report documents updated information for Underwater Topographic Features (UTFs: seamounts, knolls, hills) in the New Zealand region, and the development of a new Postgres database to serve this information. There are 42 fields for each UTF covering generic descriptors, with physical, oceanographic, geological, biological, and fisheries information. Data are given for 2964 UTFs distributed within the Territorial Sea (89), Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (1907), and outside the EEZ (968).

An updated risk assessment was conducted for 54 New Zealand marine mammals using a multi-species spatially explicit risk assessment. Goodness-of-fit assessments indicated reasonable performance to predict total number of captures for pinniped and delphinid species with >5 captures, but poor performance to predict the spatial location of those captures. Poor performance may be due to inappropriate structural model assumptions or to biological inputs. Results should be interpreted with caution.

This project has updated and characterised protected shark and ray fishery captures in New Zealand waters to the 2021 fishing year. Some protected species (whale shark, oceanic whitetip shark, deepwater nurse shark, and manta ray) were infrequently recorded. White shark, basking shark, and spinetail devil rays were more regularly observed and reported and additional analyses were completed to assess trends and factors that may increase risk of capture.

Spatial analyses are increasingly being undertaken on fishery and fishery related data in the New Zealand region. This paper proposes a standard CRS and a common origin for grids to enable data from any analyses to be overlaid, combined, and reused while minimising resampling requirements and reprojection/overlay artefacts.

This report presents analyses of the potential impacts of climate change on selected New Zealand finish. Historical research vessel catch data, likelihood clustering, and New Zealand Earth Systems Model hindcasts and forecasts, were used to estimate future redistribution of fish assemblages. A simulation model was used to examine the possible influence of climate change on stationary stock productivity.

Spatial movements of species are expected under climate change. For New Zealand fish species in the Quota Management System, this report describes depth and temperature distribution and length frequencies from research trawl catches, and a history of spatial distribution from commercial fishery catches. Some spatial patterns were likely artefacts from changes in catch reporting, whereas others seemed plausible and some were corroborated. Change was most pronounced off the South Island.

New wildlife tracking devices have demonstrated promising results in seabird monitoring and fisheries management. Xargos and Xsputnik loggers were deployed on Antipodean albatrosses in 2019, making use of X band navigation radar detection and real time GPS technology to study seabird movement and foraging patterns at sea, allowing monitoring of in situ interactions with fishing vessels and analysis of which fisheries pose the highest risk of mortality amongst foraging seabirds.

This review assesses the feasibility of a deepwater shark tagging programme in New Zealand waters. Firstly, it provides a general overview of current knowledge on deepwater shark age and growth, movement and habitat use, and post-release survival. Secondly, the report discusses tagging study designs and application. Lastly, an assessment gives options for a deepwater shark tagging programme in New Zealand.

The integration of the results of spatially explicit marine science research projects can be facilitated when the different outputs use the same spatial projection and spatial grids which can nest into each other. Wood et al. (2020) used an equal area projection for the New Zealand marine environment and proposed a central point through which all grids should intersect. We provide the R code and reference to an R package which creates such grids as a baseline for future researchers.

Commercial catch and effort data and fisheries observer records of catch and discards by species were used to estimate the rate and level of non-target catch and discards in the orange roughy and oreo trawl fisheries for fishing years 2002–03 to 2019–20. Estimates were made for broad categories of catch and discards including target species, QMS species, non-QMS fish, and non-QMS invertebrate species, and estimates of annual catch were made for several of the major individual non-target species.