Seafood with Concerns Kingfish/Yellowtail Scientific name: Seriola lalandi Other names: haku, kahu, makumaku, warehenga (Maori), yellowtail kingfish, northern kingfish Ranking: D (Amber - Concerns)

Icon Explanations

The main concerns with this fishery are: the loss of large individual fish, the unknown sustainability of the combined commercial and recreational catch limits, uncertainty about the stock structure, the absence of biomass and yield estimates, the absence of a quantitative stock assessment, limited research, and the lack of a management plan. Some fishing methods cause damage to the seabed and have high fish bycatch.

The latest stock assessment states: "Estimates of current and reference biomass are not availableÉ It is not known if recent combined commercial and recreational catch levels are sustainable or at levels that will allow the stocks to move towards a size that will support the MSY [maximum sustainable yield]." (MFish 2007, p425).

Market: About 25% of kingfish is exported ($0.5m) to the USA and Australia with the rest going to the domestic New Zealand market.

Status and sustainable yield
Status: Unknown.
Recorded catch: Reported landings of 160 tonnes in 2003-04.
Annual catch limit: The maximum current yield (MCY) was set at 169 tonnes in 2005-06, the second lowest catch in over 20 years.
Population size: Unknown, but stock relatively small.
Stock trends: Unknown, but there is concern from recreational fishers about current catch rates.

Fishing method
Method: Mainly taken as a non-target catch of inshore set net, with some trawl bycatch.
Habitat damage: Minimal damage from lines or set nets.
Bycatch: Range of species caught as bycatch in set net and trawl fisheries.
Ecological effects: Impact of removing large fish and trawling bulldozing the seabed and reducing biodiversity of bottom dwelling species.

Management
Stock assessment: No quantitative assessment for any area.
Management plan: No.
Quota Management Species: Yes, since 2003.

Biology
Distribution: Common in coastal waters and around the North Island.
Maximum age (years): 16+
Age at sexual maturity: 4-7 (uncertain)
Growth rate: Moderate.
Reproductive output: Medium.
Age exploited: 2-4

References: Report from the Fishery Assessment Plenary, May 2007: stock assessments and yield estimates. Part 2: Hake to Paua Science Group, Ministry of Fisheries; Guidebook to New Zealand Commercial Fish Species, Revised Edition 1990.

This page was updated on 9 November, 2007