New Zealand: Save our ’30 year old virgins of the sea’ from unsustainable fishing.

Orange Roughy are a long lived, deep water fish that are known to live up to 149 Years of age! They are slow to grow, slow to breed and slow to mature.

They take longer than people to become sexually mature, usually between 23-31 years of age and will only get action once a year!

 Not enough is known about the breeding behavior of this species or even how many new fish are produced to confidently and sustainably manage their populations.

This iconic fish has become increasingly exploited in recent years, due to increasing quotas for deep sea fisheries.  Over recent years Orange Roughy populations have been generally declining, with a potential for localized extinction in some areas. 

Orange Roughy are also caught using Bottom Trawling, a very destructive fishing method that destroys the sea bed as it combs indiscriminately along the bottom.  Bottom trawling catches Orange Roughy, it also catches many other non-target species including sharks, destroy corals, bryozoans and other non mobile species on the sea floor.

In New Zealand, ORH3B represents a large area of fishing for Orange Roughy. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) now want to increase the total allowable catch by 25% in this area, an extra 945 tonnes of fish to be caught in the 2013/14 fishing year. This also includes an increase in fishing related mortality (bycatch) to 225 tonnes.

It is recognized that the ORH3B stock has been generally declining; however MPI would like to increase total allowable catch of Orange Roughy.

Sign this petition to send a message to MPI indicating that you do not agree with their proposals relating to increasing catch limits and allowances for ORH 3B, that will apply from 1 October 2013.

The MPI discussion document is available on the Ministry for Primary Industries website at

http://www.mpi.govt.nz/news-resources/publications.aspx

Search Title:  Review of Management Controls for Orange Roughy 3B (ORH 3B)

Video Credit: NIWA