Raweru, Cod
Blue cod is a bottom-dwelling species endemic to New Zealand. They are found at a depth of up to 150 m and adults tend to vary in average size around the country, with smaller fish in northern regions and larger fish in the colder southern regions.
Blue cod is taken predominantly in inshore domestic fisheries with very little deepwater catch. The major commercial blue cod fisheries in New Zealand are off Southland (BCO 5) and the Chatham Islands (BCO 4). It is the most important recreational finfish in Marlborough, Otago, Canterbury, Southland and the Chatham Islands.
The Southern Islands fishery is almost entirely a pot fishery. In the past, many blue cod fishers were primarily rock lobster fishers. Therefore, the amount of effort in the blue cod fishery tended to depend on the success of the rock lobster season, with weather conditions in Southland affecting the number of “fishable” days.
Blue cod is managed by Fisheries New Zealand using the Quota Management System (QMS).
The risk assessment for blue cod is currently under review.
The risk assessment framework is used to assess the relative environmental risks of Australian and New Zealand wild-caught fisheries on fish stocks and the aquatic environment.
Assessments are undertaken for each species according to multiple ‘units of assessment’ (UoAs). The UoA is a combination of target species/stock and the gear type used by the fishery. Each UoA is assessed against three components for target species, bycatch and ecosystems, and management systems. Each component has a number of performance indicators, which have associated criteria, scoring issues, and scoring guideposts. For each UoA, each performance indicator is assigned a risk score according to how well the fishery performs against the scoring guideposts.
The risk assessment framework is currently under review and new risk assessments will be available soon.
Pots & Traps
Risk Assessment Summary
The risk assessment for blue cod is currently under review.