 |
Why the Fishing Industry is Important to
New Zealand
Preview
The fishing
industry in New Zealand
 |
earns
over $1.3 billion a year in exports |
|
supplies
an increasing portion of New Zealand's national diet |
|
employs
around 10,000 people. |
This Fact Sheet shows how the fishing industry has grown in
importance to New Zealand's national economy and the main factors
that have allowed the industry to grow.
Measuring
industry growth
New
Zealand earns 50 times more from fisheries exports today ($1.3
billion a year) than it did in the 1970s (less than $20 million
a year).
As well
as providing New Zealand with more income to import other
products, this growth has also increased employment: not only
more jobs in catching and processing fish, but also more jobs
in transporting and marketing fish and providing other services
to fishing companies.
These two
tables show the growth of New Zealand's fishing industry
Table 1: Number of people employed in
the fishing industry in New Zealand *
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Year |
No.
of people |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1945 |
2100 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1963 |
2800 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1975 |
4100 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1987 |
7905 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1991 |
8430 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1995 |
9951 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1997 |
10,173 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1999 |
10,620 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table
2: Value of fisheries exports from New Zealand ($Million)
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Year |
Exports |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1975 |
17.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1979 |
57.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1983 |
285.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1987 |
676 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1991 |
961 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1992 |
1,217 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1998 |
1,233 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1999 |
1,330 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2000 |
1,480 |
|
|
|
|
|
*Source:
New Zealand Seafood Industry Council
The
New Zealand market for fish
 |
Between
1987 and 1991, the value of fish sold in New Zealand
rose by 21 percent - and continues to increase.
The
fishing industry has promoted seafood to New Zealanders,
emphasising value for money, healthiness and variety.
Most New Zealanders are still conservative in their
choice of fish, preferring "traditional" species like
snapper. Until recently we virtually ignored other fish
that are abundant in our waters, like squid and hoki.
|
Table
3: Value of Domestic Fish Sales In New Zealand ($million)
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Year |
1987 |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
| Sales |
114 |
106 |
118 |
134 |
138 |
121 |
122 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Year |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
|
| Sales |
116 |
121 |
122 |
127 |
129 |
130 |
|
*Source:
New Zealand Seafood Industry Council
Overseas
markets
Our
most important export markets for fish products have been Japan,
the United States and Australia. We also sell big quantities
to Europe (mainly France and the United Kingdom) and Asian countries
including Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
In recent
years the main export species have been orange roughy, rock
lobster, squid, hoki and snapper.
The contribution
made by each species can change a lot from year to year. For
example, squid peaked at over $120 million in 1989, but earned
less than $50 million in 1991. In this case, the main reasons
were poor catches and low world prices. In 1992, earnings
for squid had recovered to $80 million. In 1998 earnings were
$64 million, down from over $70 million the previous year.
Click
here to see New Zealand's big export earners
Many factors
can affect how much we earn for different fish species, including
the following:
|
|
|
exchange
rates |
|
the
amount of added-value processing done in New Zealand |
|
overseas
prices |
|
the
success of the fishing season |
|
quota
levels |
|
fish
quality |
|
natural
environmental problems. |
Setting
catch limits through individual quota
limits, is one tool to prevent over-fishing and assist
in the conservation of our fisheries. If quota levels are
reduced to conserve a fishery, as has happened with orange
roughy and snapper, then fewer fish are available for export.
An example
of a natural environmental problem is the toxic algae that
poisoned shellfish in early 1993. This crisis halted shellfish
exports, costing New Zealand millions of dollars in lost trade.
Seafood
products may also face barriers to overseas trade. The main
ones are:
|
|
|
non-tariff
trade barriers |
|
environmental
sanctions (eg, bans on importing fish caught by driftnetting
or bans on certain types of packaging) |
|
technical
barriers (eg import restrictions imposed by other countries
for health or quarantine reasons). |
The Ministry
of Fisheries (MFish) helps open up export markets by helping
to negotiate acceptable technical standards with overseas governments.
Industry
growth factors
The following
are the main factors that have allowed New Zealand's fishing
industry to grow so quickly:
Staking
claim to our water
 In
1978, New Zealand declared a 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ), covering 3.37 million square kilometres, with
exclusive rights to manage the fisheries in this zone. Instead
of our fish being caught by foreign companies, nearly all
commercial fishing in this area is now done by New Zealand
companies.
Improving
technology
The technology for finding and catching different fish species
has improved. Since the early 1980s, New Zealand's fishers
have developed ways of catching valuable deepwater species
like hoki and orange roughy. We are also doing more added-value
processing of fish before export.
Growing
markets
To sell the increased quantity of fish we produce, the industry
has had to expand its markets for fish products both in New
Zealand and overseas.
Increasing
understanding through research
Fisheries scientists are learning more about our fisheries
stocks, so we're better at judging how much can be safely
caught each year and setting a Total Allowable Catch for each
type of fish, so that we don't harvest too many.
Managing
our Fisheries
New Zealand has a way of controlling fish harvesting,
known as the Quota Management System. Fishers must buy or
already hold ACE for specific types of fish in specific areas,
giving them the right to harvest the fish for which they have
ACE. The ACE is generated from quota held by a person who
may or may not be the fisher. Quota and ACE can be bought
or sold. This system means fishers can plan for the future
with confidence, and without depleting our fish stocks.
Farming
fish and shellfish
Companies are developing new techniques for aquaculture. Farmed
salmon and mussels earn tens of millions of dollars in exports,
and there are possibilities for farming other species such
as paua and rock lobsters.
Enhancing
our fish stock
Work is also being done to build up "wild" stocks of fish
and shellfish. For example, the Tasman Bay scallop fishery
has been greatly improved by "seeding" the scallop beds with
young scallops that have been trapped and grown in special
nets.
For more
information click on any link below.
|
