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Seafood to Avoid
Pale ghost shark/ Pearl
Scientific name:
Hydrolagus bemisi
Other names: Chimaera, ratfish, pearl
Ranking: E (Red - Worst Choice)
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Description: As with the dark ghost shark, this species is caught almost entirely as a bycatch of other target trawl fisheries, notably the hoki fishery, but also the silver warehou, arrow squid and barracouta fisheries.
The main concerns with this fishery are:the lack of some basic biological data, possible dumping of catches in past years, little directed research, a quantitative stock assessment and a management plan, the habitat damage caused by trawling, and the unknown sustainability of current catch limits. As a bycatch species of other fisheries, it is associated with seabird, marine mammal and other non-target fish bycatch.
The fishery assessment plenary report states: No estimates of current or reference biomass are available. "For all fish stocks it is not known if recent catch levels or current TACCs [total allowable commercial catches] are sustainable in the long term or whether they will allow the stocks to move towards a size that will support the maximum sustainable yield." (MFish 2005, p298).
Market: Ghost shark exports of around $2 million to Australia and shark fins are exported to Asia.
Status and sustainable yield
Status: Uncertain.
Annual catch limit: Set at 1780 tonnes in 2004-05.
Recorded catch: Estimated landings of 708 tonnes in 2005-06 Ð it is likely that ghost sharks have been dumped and not reported in past years.
Population size: Unknown – estimates of current and reference biomass are not available.
Stock trends: Uncertain but Chatham Rise trawl survey indicates a decline of 80% between 1984 and 1994 (Clark et al 2000).
Fishing method
Method: Trawling, caught as bycatch in hoki, silver warehou, arrow squid and barracouta fisheries.
Habitat damage: Trawling damage in hoki, silver warehou, arrow squid and barracouta fisheries. Bottom trawling for hoki bulldozes the sea floor, destroying soft corals, sponges and long-lived bryozoans.
Bycatch: Caught as bycatch but a range of other species are also caught, including seabirds, fur seals and non-target fish.
Ecological effects: Impact of trawling on benthic biodiversity plus loss of large sharks due to fishing.
Management
Stock assessment: No quantitative stock assessment for any area and little directed research.
Management plan: No.
Quota Management Species: Yes, since 1999.
Biology
Distribution: A deepwater species found throughout New Zealand waters, but mostly on the Chatham Rise and Southland/Sub-Antarctic at depths of 400-800m.
Maximum age (years): Unknown.
Age at sexual maturity: Unknown.
Growth rate: Low.
Reproductive output: Likely to be low.
Age exploited: Unknown.
References: Report from the Fishery Assessment Plenary, May 2007: stock assessments and yield estimates. Part 1: Albacore to Groper. Science Group Science Group, Ministry of Fisheries; Guidebook to New Zealand Commercial Fish Species, Revised Edition 1990, NZ Fishing Industry Board.
This page was updated on 9 November, 2007 |
