Quota Management System

The Quota Management System (QMS) is a type of individual fishing quota that is used in New Zealand to manage fish stocks.

New Zealand fishing industry Seafood is one of New Zealand's largest export markets, with 85% of catches being exported. Over 90% of the total revenue raised by the country's fishing industry comes from exported stocks, raising NZ$3 billion annually. The most valuable species is the hoki, Macruronus novaezelandiae.

For the purposes of QMS, New Zealand's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is divided into ten quota management regions. A separate quota is defined for each species in each region, depending on the species' distributions, ranging from a single fishing quota market for the hoki to eleven for the abalone Haliotis iris.

History New Zealand is "the world leader in implementing IFQs". QMS was introduced by the Fisheries Amendment Act 1986, initially covering 26 marine species. The following year, it covered 30 species, and by 2005, it covered 93 species, out of the 140 commercial species in New Zealand's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). These comprised 550 separate fishing quota markets. QMS will eventually be extended to cover all living marine resources that are commercially exploited, including invertebrates, but excluding marine mammals. However, LegaSea, a non-profit environmental organisation based in New Zealand, argued that the Fisheries Act 1996 did not achieve its primary purpose of sustainable use of fisheries resources to provide for the well-being of the marine environment. They claimed that the QMS, managed under the Act, prioritised commercial fishing interests over sustainability, which resulted in declining fish stocks.

Total allowable commercial catch Species code Name TACC (kg) ANC Anchovy 560,000 ANG Freshwater eels 420,150 BAR Barracouta 32,672,461 BCO Blue cod 2,681,496 BIG Bigeye tuna 714,000 BNS Bluenose 2,335,000 BUT Butterfish 162,000 BWS Blue shark 1,860,000 BYA Frilled venus shell 16,000 BYX Alfonsino 2,995,700 CDL Cardinalfish 2,548,000 CHC Red crab 48,000 COC Cockle 3,214,000 CRA Spiny red rock lobster 2,792,839 DAN Ringed dosinia 203,000 DSU Silky dosinia 8,000 ELE Elephant fish 1,283,500 EMA Blue mackerel 11,550,000 FLA Flatfish 5,418,800 FRO Frostfish 4,019,000 GAR Garfish 50,000 GLM Green-lipped mussel 1,720,000 GMU Grey mullet 1,005,601 GSC Giant spider crab 419,000 GSH Ghost shark 3,012,000 GSP Pale ghost shark 1,780,000 GUR Gurnard 5,181,187 HAK Hake 13,211,143 HOK Hoki 120,010,000 HOR Horse mussel 29,000 HPB Hapuku and bass 2,181,600 JDO John Dory 1,140,400 JMA Jack mackerel 60,547,234 KAH Kahawai 2,728,000 KBB Bladder kelp 1,509,600 KIC King crab 90,000 KIN Kingfish 200,000 KWH Knobbed whelk 67,000 LDO Lookdown dory 783,000 LEA Leatherjacket 1,431,000 LFE Long-finned eel 82,000 LIN Ling 22,226,000 MAK Mako shark 406,000 MDI Trough shell 160,000 MMI Large trough shell 180,000 MOK Blue moki 608,112 MOO Moonfish 527,000 OEO Oreo 18,860,000 ORH Orange roughy 8,221,000 OYS Dredge oyster 15,544,000 PAD Paddle crab 765,000 PAR Parore 84,000 PAU Pāua 1,058,499 PDO Deepwater tuatua 629,000 PHC Packhorse rock lobster 40,300 PIL Pilchard 2,485,000 POR Porae 71,000 POS Porbeagle 215,000 PPI Pipi 204,000 PRK Prawn killer 36,000 PTO Patagonian toothfish 49,500 PZL Deepwater clam 31,500 QSC Queen scallop 380,000 RBM Ray's bream 980,000 RBT Redbait 5,050,000 RBY Ruby fish 812,000 RCO Red cod 8,278,385 RIB Ribaldo 1664,000 RSK Rough skate 1,986,000 RSN Red snapper 146,000 SAE Triangle shell 725,000 SBW Southern blue whiting 43,408,000 SCA Scallop 841,000 SCC Sea cucumber 35,000 SCH School shark 3,436,100 SCI Scampi 1,291,000 SFE Short-finned eel 347,000 SKI Gemfish 1,060,394 SNA Snapper 6,357,300 SPD Spiny dogfish 12,660,000 SPE Sea perch 2,170,000 SPO Rig 1,919,064 SPR Sprats 450,000 SQU Arrow squid 127,332,381 SSK Smooth skate 849,000 STA Stargazer 5,456,400 STN Southern bluefin tuna 413,000 SUR Kina 1,147,000 SWA Silver warehou 1,0380,201 SWO Swordfish 885,000 TAR Tarakihi 6,439,173 TOR Pacific bluefin tuna 116,000 TRE Trevally 3,933,103 TRU Trumpeter 144,000 TUA Tuatua 43,000 WAR Blue warehou 4,512,358 WWA White warehou 3,735,000 YEM Yellow-eyed mullet 68,000 YFN Yellowfin tuna 263,000

See also Fishing industry in New Zealand Environment of New Zealand

References

External links Ministry of Fisheries – The Quota Management System Map of Fisheries Management Areas