Commercial catch for shark and ray species in New Zealand
2012, number of commercially caught animals
| Species | Number of commercially caught animals |
|---|---|
| Spiny dogfish | 5,704 |
| School shark | 3,315 |
| Dark ghost shark | 2,095 |
| Rough skate | 1,553 |
| Rig | 1,445 |
| Elephantfish | 1,382 |
| Blue shark | 1,054 |
| Pale ghost shark | 695 |
| Smooth skate | 580 |
| Carpet shark | 336 |
| Seal shark | 277 |
| Mako shark | 160 |
| Shovelnose dogfish | 145 |
| Eagle ray | 108 |
| Northern spiny dogfish | 102 |
| Longnose spookfish | 101 |
| Porbeagle shark | 60 |
| Electric ray | 38 |
| Thresher shark | 38 |
| Baxter's dogfish | 30 |
| Lucifer's dogfish | 25 |
| Broadnose sevengill shark | 19 |
| Giant chimaera | 19 |
| Bronze whaler shark | 16 |
| Hammerhead shark | 13 |
| Short-tailed stingray | 13 |
| Long-tailed stingray | 12 |
| Slender smoothhound | 10 |
| Leafscale gulper shark | 9 |
| Prickly dogfish | 4 |
| Owston's dogfish | 3 |
| Numbfish | 2 |
| Longnose deepsea skate | 1 |
| Softnose skate | 1 |
| Basking shark | 0 |
| Deepwater spiny skate | 0 |
| Largespine velvet dogfish | 0 |
| Spinetail devilray | 0 |
Definitions
The commercial fishing year goes from 1 October to 30 September.
Limitations of the data
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).
Inclusions
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.
Data provided by
Dataset name
Environmental Reporting: Commercial catch for shark and ray species 2005–2012
Webpage:
https://data.mfe.govt.nz/table/2515-commercial-catch-for-shark-and-ray-species-200512/data/
How to find the data
At URL provided, select 'Download' from the top right of the screen. You will have to register to download this dataset.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Environmental Reporting: Commercial catch for shark and ray species 2005–2012
From the dataset Environmental Reporting: Commercial catch for shark and ray species 2005–2012, this data was extracted:
- Rows: 2-361
- Column: 5
- Provided: 360 data points
This data forms the table Wildlife - Commercial catch for shark and ray species 2005–2012.
Dataset originally released on:
September 29, 2015
Purpose of collection
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.