AM21-0541

AM21-0612

AM21-0667

AM22-0014

AM22-0118

MO22-0064

MO22-0098

Sub20-0108

Sub21-0053

Sub21-0114

This report presents a Bayesian length-based stock assessment for pāua (Haliotis iris) in quota management area PAU 5A. The assessment was run as a single and multi-area assessment over small research strata, with almost identical conclusions. The base case suggested stock levels near 50% of unfished biomass, with slow declines over recent decades. Projections for both models suggested little change from current stock status over the next three years and into the future at current catch levels.

This report describes photo/trawl surveys of the SCI 1 and SCI 2 fisheries, undertaken in February 2021. While most of the derived indices suggest increases in abundance in SCI 1 and SCI 2 since 2018, corrections for changes in reader interpretations of reference set images over time suggest declines in burrow abundance in both areas. The SCI 2 trawl index also suggests a decline in abundance in this area. Over 3700 scampi were tagged during these surveys, to investigate growth.

Albacore caught by trolling during the 2018–19 to 2020–21 fishing seasons were sampled in fish sheds to determine the length frequency composition and length-weight relationship. Data were scaled to the reported commercial catch recorded either on CELR forms or electronically and were compared with the commercial data for spatial and temporal representativeness of the fishery.

In the past, commercial catch length frequency (LF) data for New Zealand red rock lobster stocks were processed as empirical LFs and a subjective equation was used to derive a measure of uncertainty for each LF. This document describes the development of a methodology for predicting LFs and associated uncertainty using a model and data collected by the observer catch sampling and voluntary logbook programmes. This methodology is applied to two Quota Management Areas (CRA 2 and CRA 3).