NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Best Fish Guide full of bad news

8 Nov, 2005 08:31 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Forest and Bird yesterday launched a Best Fish Guide to illustrate that New Zealand's commercial fishing practices have not improved in the past year.

The wallet-sized guide, in its second edition, is designed to inform consumers which seafood to buy to minimise impacts on the environment.

"Choose wisely. There aren't plenty more fish in the sea," said guide "ambassador" Dobie Blaze, keyboard player from the Wellington band Fat Freddy's Drop.

Fish are categorised into three groups for the guide: green for best choice, of which no fish were rated; amber for those of concern, and red for those overfished.

Fish in the red category are caught using methods that Forest and Bird says damage the marine environment and catch large amounts of fish, animals and birds that are discarded.

For the guide, 68 commercial fisheries were assessed. Forest and Bird says 51 of the 68 commercial fisheries in New Zealand waters caused habitat damage, 65 caused adverse ecological effects, 32 killed a significant number of marine mammals and 27 kill significant numbers of seabirds.

"Over half of the commercial fisheries assessed by us have never had a quantitative stock assessment. You can't sustainably manage fish stocks if you don't now what size they are," Forest and Bird conservation manager Kevin Hackwell said.

According to the rankings, skipjack tuna is the best choice, ranked at the top of the amber concerns list.

Stocks of trevally have dropped the most since last year after a stock assessment indicated the fishery may be below its long-term sustainable size.

"Oysters and scallops have moved into the red list because of concerns about the environmental impact of dredging and the impact of disease on oysters," Mr Hackwell said. "Once again, orange roughy was at the bottom of the list. Most orange roughy stocks are overfished and below sustainable levels."

The four fish whose fishery faces the most problems are orange roughy, deepwater dory, pacific bluefin tuna and southern bluefin tuna.

The guide is available from Forest and Bird branches and over the internet.

Colour code list


* Amber - Concerns

Albacore tuna, Anchovy, Blue cod, Blue mackerel, Blue moki, Bluenosebutterfish/greenbone, Cockles, Frostfish, Garfish, Grey mullet, John dory, Kahawai, Kina, Kingfish/yellowtail, Packhorse lobster/crayfish, Paddle crabs, Paua, Pilchard, Red cod, Red gurnard, Rock lobster/crayfish, Silver warehou, Skipjack tuna, Sprats, Tarakihi, Trevally, White wareho, Yellow-eyed mullet

* Red - Worst Choice

Alfonsino, Arrow squid, Barracouta, Bigeye tuna, Black cardinal fish, Blue warehou, Dark ghost shark/pearl, Eels, Elephantfish, Flatfish/flounder/sole/brill/turbot, Gemfish, Grouper/hapuku/bass, Hake, Hoki, Jack mackerel, Leatherjacket/creamfish, Ling, Orange roughy, Oreos/deepwater dory, Oyster - Bluff/Nelson, Pacific bluefin tuna, Pale ghost shark/pearl, Queen scallops, Ribaldo, Rig/lemonfish, Rubyfish, Scallops, Scampi, School shark/tope/flake, Sea perch/scarpee, Skates, Snapper, Spiny dogfish, Stargazer/monkfish, Southern blue whiting, Southern bluefin tuna, Swordfish, Trumpeter, Yellow fin tuna

- NZPA

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Morally bankrupt': Expert slams proposal to end climate buy-outs

09 Jul 11:39 PM
New ZealandUpdated

‘Appalling and uncouth:’ Drunk lawyer suspended after grabbing colleague’s genitals

09 Jul 11:36 PM
New Zealand

'You're still here? We've been bombed': Former Rainbow Warrior cook looks back

09 Jul 11:24 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
MetService warns of heavy rain, possible flooding in Northland
Northern Advocate

MetService warns of heavy rain, possible flooding in Northland

09 Jul 11:33 PM
'Scope for it': Foster backs AUSNZ XV to feature in 2029 Lions tour
Rugby

'Scope for it': Foster backs AUSNZ XV to feature in 2029 Lions tour

09 Jul 11:30 PM
'You're still here? We've been bombed': Former Rainbow Warrior cook looks back
New Zealand

'You're still here? We've been bombed': Former Rainbow Warrior cook looks back

09 Jul 11:24 PM
'Right-hand woman': Long-time aide to Princess of Wales departs
Royals

'Right-hand woman': Long-time aide to Princess of Wales departs

09 Jul 11:14 PM
'Quite exceptional': Young man killed in Stewart Island hunting trip tragedy remembered
New Zealand

'Quite exceptional': Young man killed in Stewart Island hunting trip tragedy remembered

09 Jul 11:00 PM

Latest from New Zealand

'Morally bankrupt': Expert slams proposal to end climate buy-outs

'Morally bankrupt': Expert slams proposal to end climate buy-outs

09 Jul 11:39 PM

'You are on your own': Phasing out support for climate adaptation slammed.

‘Appalling and uncouth:’ Drunk lawyer suspended after grabbing colleague’s genitals

‘Appalling and uncouth:’ Drunk lawyer suspended after grabbing colleague’s genitals

09 Jul 11:36 PM
'You're still here? We've been bombed': Former Rainbow Warrior cook looks back

'You're still here? We've been bombed': Former Rainbow Warrior cook looks back

09 Jul 11:24 PM
'Quite exceptional': Young man killed in Stewart Island hunting trip tragedy remembered

'Quite exceptional': Young man killed in Stewart Island hunting trip tragedy remembered

09 Jul 11:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search