Commercial catch of basking sharks in New Zealand waters

The commercial fishing year goes from 1 October to 30 September.

The accuracy of the data source is of medium quality.
Under-reporting of protected species bycatch by commercial fishers introduces a major bias in the estimates. This can be compensated to a degree in fisheries that have sufficient observer coverage (enough observers for the number of vessels). Observer coverage varies across our commercial fisheries (MPI, 2014).

Total reported catch includes landings (both intentional and as bycatch), discards, and live release of chondrichthyan species (mainly sharks and rays) over the 2005–13 fishing years. Because discarded fish are unlikely to be alive and the survival rate of animals released alive is not known, this information has been aggregated with landings. This data covers NZ's Exclusive Economic Zone.

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New Zealand waters have at least 113 species of chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and other cartilaginous fish species). They are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they are long-lived, mature slowly, and have a low reproductive rate. Chondrichthyans are important for healthy ocean ecosystems, and reporting their commercial catch and bycatch helps us understand the sustainability of our fisheries.