Quota Management System

Each year, scientists and industry work together to assess the population size of all major commercial fish species in their major fishing grounds. These areas are called Quota Management Areas (QMA's).

Using the assessment data, the Minister of Fisheries then sets an annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limit for each QMA. The TAC is set conservatively, so that enough fish remain to maintain breeding future populations.

In fisheries where non-commercial users are involved (e.g. customary Maori or recreational fishers), a quantity of stock is set aside for them before the commercial catch (TACC) is set.

The TACC is set in volume (e.g. tonnes) allowed to be caught each year and can vary from year to year. It is divided into a number of Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs), which are effectively rights to fish a defined portion of the TACC.

For the TACCs of the top ten commercial fish species, see their individual pages in Species.

An Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) is the right to harvest a defined amount of a species (percentage by weight of the TACC) in a specified area during one fishing year. The quota rights can be transferred to another person or company through either sale or lease. For most quota-managed species the year runs from 1 October to 30 September.

If someone holds quota for 6% of the TACC for a particular species in an area, they hold the right to harvest 6% of that area's TACC. However, the amount harvested will change each year - depending on what the year's TACC volume is set at.

A monitoring process is set in place to ensure that actual landed catches are always matched against someone's quota. Therefore, a species' TACC can not be exceeded.

When a species is first brought under the Quota Management System, Maori are given 20% of the total quota. The remainder is distributed amongst those people who hold commercial fishing permits for that species - based on how much they caught over previous years.

Quota is an asset and can be sold, leased or given away just like a piece of land. Its value depends on the market value of the species, the TACC and demand for that particular quota. Most quota trading is by personal contacts and advertisements in daily papers and in the seafood trade magazines. There are also a number of well-established quota broking companies.

All quota trades must be registered with FishServe, who provide registry services to the New Zealand commercial fishing industry for the Quota Management System. The Fisheries Act limits how much quota any one person or company can own - so that that no one company or individual can develop a monopoly on fishing in any one area or for any one species. These aggregation limits are set by the Minister of Fisheries, in consultation with the New Zealand Fishing Industry Board, and other industry representatives.

Aggregation limits for the main commercial species of alfonsino, barracouta, blue warehou, gemfish, hake, hoki, jack mackerel, ling, orange roughy, oreo dory, packhorse lobster, red cod, silver warehou and squid, are set at 45% of Quota in each QMA.

Aggregation limits for rock lobster are 10% of a QMA. The aggregation limit for bluenose is 20% of the total TACC. All other fish under the QMS have aggregation limits of 20%.

Since 1986, restructuring in the fishing industry has resulted in more quota being held by fewer individuals or companies. The leading New Zealand fishing companies and quota holders are currently Sealord, Sanford, and Talley's.

More information on the QMS revolution and how it works can be found on the Deepwater Group's website.  For detailed quota holdings information refer to the Fishserve website. There may be a charge for some services.