A register of MPI export plant approved organisations.

This report updates and summarises the commercial catches, standardised catch per unit effort (CPUE), and observer and research data for hoki (Macruronus novaezelandiae) caught commercially during the 2021–22 fishing year.

These data include time series of length-at-age and catch-at-age from observer and land-based sampling of commercial catch. Length and age data from spawning and non-spawning fisheries are compared with those from previous years.

The overall catch in the 2021–22 fishing year was lower than the catch in 2020–21. Catches in 2021–22 decreased in most areas (west coast South Island, Cook Strait, Chatham Rise, Sub-Antarctic, and east coast North Island) and increased in the east coast South Island and Puysegur fisheries. The CPUE indices varied by area but were all at or above the long-term average.

Catch-at-age data are important for the assessment of fish stocks because they provide information on the year class strength of age classes caught and are used in analyses of trawl surveys and commercial fisheries. Most of the catch in 2021–22 was of fish 45–90 cm length from the 2006–2019 year classes.

The 2014 and 2015 year classes were important in all areas except for the Chatham Rise, and the 2016 and 2017 year classes were low in all the main fisheries. The 2018 and 2019 year classes appeared strong in the WC.north, SA.snares, SA.auck, CR.shallow, and CR.deep sub-fisheries.

Biomass indices from research surveys and results from other research on hoki in the most recent year are also briefly described. Data in this report were incorporated in the model for the hoki stock assessment in 2023.

It is widely acknowledged that the existing regulatory arrangements for dietary supplements in New Zealand under the Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985 (the Regulations) do not provide adequate coverage for the range of such products currently available.

The Marine Ecology Research Group used detailed field surveys to assess the recovery of the inshore coastal ecosystem affected by the cataclysmic 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.

The earthquake caused seismic uplift from 0.5 to 6.4 m along 130 km of coastline and resulted in widespread die-offs of important flora and fauna and permanent losses to critical habitats.

There was much concern for the fate of diverse intertidal and subtidal communities, which include culturally and commercially important fisheries, such as pāua, and other habitat-forming species like bull kelp.

Shore-based and dive surveys tracked the abundance of over 120 marine species at 16 sites for more than six years. Findings depict major physical and ecological changes over time across sites.

The complex dynamics of recovery are described in detail in this report and clearly show that the effects from this disturbance to the Kaikōura coastal ecosystem are both significant and ongoing.

This long-term study is the first of its kind and provides a detailed data set and quantitative baselines that will help inform future coastal management decisions.

This report describes catch-at-age distributions for hake (Merluccius australis) and ling (Genypterus blacodes) from commercial fisheries for the 2021–22 (2022) fishing year, to update an ongoing time series.

These distributions are based on length data and otoliths (ear bones for ageing fish) collected by observers from commercial fishing and research trawl data.

Catch-at-age data are important for the assessment of fish stocks because they provide information on the year class strength of age classes caught and are used in analyses of trawl surveys and commercial fisheries.

The precision target (coefficient of variation) was met for analyses of hake commercial trawl Sub-Antarctic and west coast South Island fisheries but not for the Sub-Antarctic trawl survey. The target precision was met for the Chatham Rise and Sub-Antarctic ling commercial trawl fisheries, and the Sub-Antarctic trawl survey, but not for the west coast South Island commercial trawl fishery. The target precision was met for the west coast South Island and Sub-Antarctic ling longline fisheries analysed.

Further observer data collection in certain areas and months are recommended to improve the precision of the hake and ling time series in future analyses.

Increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle are likely to impact seafloor marine ecosystems by accelerating soil erosion and sediment transport to the ocean by rivers.

The objective of this project was to understand sediment impacts from the February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle event on marine environments of the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne regions to enable rapid fisheries management decisions.

We conducted two vessel surveys in June and October 2023 focusing on offshore seabed environments deeper than 15 metres. As part of these surveys we mapped selected areas of the seafloor, surveyed life on the seabed using a towed underwater camera, and obtained sediment core samples.

An ocean current and sediment transport model was designed and implemented to investigate the transport and deposition of sediments after Cyclone Gabrielle. Concentrations of suspended sediments and other parameters in the surface ocean along the east coast of the North Island were estimated from satellite images. This satellite information was used to inform the sediment transport model and to characterise the spatial extent and longevity of the offshore sediment plumes generated by Cyclone Gabrielle. A Seafloor model was used to explore impacts and recovery of seafloor ecosystems following the cyclone.

The analysis of satellite images suggest that the influence of Cyclone Gabrielle lasted approximately two to three months across the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne coastal marine areas, with surface ocean parameters largely returning to normal by May. The concentrations of suspended sediment at the ocean surface in February were significantly elevated, but they did not exceed values typical of winter months.
Seabed mapping revealed areas of significant sediment erosion, and deposition up to about one metre in thickness, at Pania Reef, Tangoio Reef and Clive outfall area in Hawke Bay. Elsewhere, sediment core observations suggested the presence of fresh muddy deposits of up to about 15 centimetres. Swell waves were resuspending muddy sediments at shallow locations for several months after the cyclone, as was evident by the low underwater visibility during camera deployments.

The abundance and diversity of the sediment fauna sampled in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne before (2010) and after Cyclone Gabrielle (June and October 2023) tended to increase away from the shore and into deeper waters. Sediment fauna were less abundant in June 2023 when compared with 2010, but appeared to be recovering by October 2023.

Seafloor animal and plant communities are highly likely to have been impacted by sediments at 11 of the 36 locations we surveyed using the towed underwater camera, as assessed by observations including (1) fresh mud layer on the seafloor, (2) animal/plant life in poor condition, and/or (3) absence of seaweed at shallow depths. However, for most of these locations a direct link to Cyclone Gabrielle cannot be demonstrated because no information on the distribution of seafloor organisms is available from before the cyclone. The likely exception is Wairoa Hard in Hawke Bay, where available information shows that kelp and sponges were present before the cyclone but were almost completely or completely absent after the cyclone. Whether this loss of habitat has led to reductions in associated fish populations is unclear.

Although limited by the availability of data, the ocean current and sediment transport model produced realistic predictions of suspended sediment concentrations and deposition at the seafloor. In the days following the cyclone, sedimentation in Hawke Bay was predicted to occur mainly close to shore in the western and central parts of the bay. In the Gisborne region, there was deposition of up to about 10 centimetres of sediments offshore of Poverty Bay and along a narrow band of the coast to the north near Tokomaru and Tolaga bays. These model predictions are broadly consistent with observations from the sediment core samples.

The Seafloor model showed small declines in structure-forming organisms such as sponges for Hawke’s Bay following Cyclone Gabrielle. These declines were not substantial, most likely because the region is already impacted by decades of fishing and increased sedimentation. The Seafloor model predicted weaker cyclone impacts for Gisborne than Hawke’s Bay and indicated that continued trawling may slow down recovery of seafloor communities following extreme weather events.

The lack of pre-cyclone information was a major obstacle in assessing the potential impacts of the cyclone on seabed ecosystems. Information collected as part of this project now form a valuable baseline that will inform future impact assessments in the region. Another limitation is the inability to use towed cameras to survey inshore habitats for extended periods because of poor underwater visibility. A precautionary approach could be warranted in the period following an extreme weather event until key habitats and ecosystems can be surveyed, and fish stocks and catch levels should be carefully monitored in the years following the event.

Sediment transport modelling is a promising tool for rapidly identifying areas most at risk from sedimentation following extreme weather events. However targeted sampling of sediment and water parameters under normal and flood conditions would help improve the accuracy and reliability of model predictions. The Seafloor model could be used to explore how spatial changes in fishing effort could enhance recovery following extreme weather events and could be improved through better information on the distribution of seafloor sediment and reefs and their associated animal and plant communities, particularly in the Gisborne region.

The impact of extreme weather events is made worse by decades of increased sedimentation in New Zealand’s marine environments. Addressing the long-term issue of sedimentation in marine ecosystems and the impacts of extreme weather events will require addressing the factors that have made New Zealand’s catchments more prone to erosion.

Evaluation of the impact and direct effect of climate change on the productivity of New Zealand's planted forest systems.

This report aims to generate productivity surfaces for indigenous forest species and Pinus radiata for New Zealand. These surfaces were generated for current and anticipated future climatic conditions for pinus radiata. For indigenous forests, the work used predictive modelling techniques to produce spatial models of tree diameter increment. Estimating the growth rate of these forests accurately will enable optimal siting of future plantations and enhance national policy formulation.

The objective of this study is to quantify the risk posed by wind damage to
planted forests in New Zealand and to investigate different options that owners of
forests registered under the Emissions Trading Scheme can use to manage this risk.

This study looks at likely impacts of assumed values of climate change on plantation productivity, focusing on the relationships between climate and forest productivity.

The objective of this report is to identify how New Zealand planted forest
management could change to effectively manage carbon sequestration and
carbon-price risk. This study involved evaluating existing knowledge in a literature review, and carrying out a comprehensive stand and estate-level modelling exercise. Results were used to identify core knowledge gaps and provide a research plan for addressing these gaps.