Download FAR 2024/59 Fish bycatch in New Zealand tuna longline fisheries 2018–19 to 2020–21

This report summarises the catch in the New Zealand tuna surface longline (SLL) fishery during the 2018–19 to 2020−21 fishing years, and focuses on the main non-target fish and sharks species caught. Nonfish bycatch such as seabirds and mammals were not included in this study.
Between 2018–19 and 2020–21, there were 34 396 fish and invertebrates from at least 60 species in the observed captures. Many species were rarely recorded by observers. Only 38 species (or species groups) exceeded 100 observations between 1988–89 and 2020–21. The highest number of fish observed were blue shark, making up 45% of observed specimens. The next two most abundant species were southern bluefin tuna and lancetfish. Other important non-target species were Ray’s bream, porbeagle shark, pelagic stingray, sunfish, moonfish, and mako shark, followed by oilfish, yellowfin tuna, escolar, striped marlin, butterfly tuna, Pacific bluefin tuna, and thresher shark.
Most of the tuna species and swordfish were retained. All striped marlin were returned to the sea (as required). Two other quota species, moonfish and Ray’s bream were mostly kept, while retaining or discarding of non quota species was more variable. A shark finning ban was introduced in 2014–15; since then, most sharks have not been landed.