Download FAR 2024/52 Monitoring of recreational harvest of red rock lobster Jasus edwardsii in CRA 2

Red rock lobster support one of New Zealand’s most valuable fisheries and the species is important in the commercial, recreational, and customary sectors. The National Panel Survey (NPS) estimates the recreational harvest but is only conducted every 5–6 years with little known about the harvest during intervening years. To track the harvest annually, a boat ramp creel monitoring programme was established in northeastern New Zealand (CRA 2) to operate complementarily with the NPS. The scaled harvest estimated from the creel monitoring programme was in close agreement with the NPS during 2017–18 and 2022–23, remaining well below the recreational allowance of 34 tonnes. There was an initial increase in the harvest from 2017–18 to 2019–20, followed by a 45% decline from 2021–22 to 2022–23. The mean weight of individual lobster fluctuated between 0.689 and 0.929 kg over the study period.