New Zealand Food Safety operates residue monitoring programmes associated with the Animal Products Act (APA), the Food Act and the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act.

Foveaux Strait commercial and recruit-sized oyster densities and population sizes were similar in February 2020 to that in 2019, pre-recruits increased 22.5%, and small oysters increased 76.6%. The prevalence of Bonamia infection was 5.1 % in 2020, lower than in 2019 (6.4%). Numbers of non-fatally infected recruit-sized-oysters were low in 2020 (0.9%), similar to in 2019. Bonamia mortality was low in 2020 (3%). Key indicators for the future rebuilding of the fishery are strongly positive.

Estimates of relative species proportions and catch-at-age for the three jack mackerel (Trachurus) species in the commercial JMA 7 catch for 2018–19 are presented. The available time series of catch-at-age estimates, sex ratios, and species proportions for the JMA 7 catch (2006–07 to 2018–19) are summarised.

Data from boat-based surveys north and south of Kaikōura Peninsula between 2013 and 2018 were analysed to assess potential impacts of the November 2016 earthquake on abundance and distribution of Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) in the Kaikōura region. A binomial mark-resight model estimated 250 – 450 adult Hector’s dolphins in the area for most survey periods. Results do not indicate a substantial change in the number of adults using the area in the 16 months following the earthquake.

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