Submission: Proposed spawning area closure to orange roughy fishing in the East and South Chatham Rise

Fisheries New Zealand is consulting on options for closures to commercial fishing for orange roughy in the spawning areas of the East and South Chatham Rise part of the fishery area known as ORH 3B.

The following is a short summary of our submission. You can read our full submission by clicking on the image or button at the bottom of the page.

Submission summary

ELI supports closing orange roughy spawning areas to fishing in the East and South Chatham Rise. We endorse Option 3 as the widest spatial closure, together with a full‑year closure. Evidence shows that fishing during spawning aggregations can have a disproportionate impact on stock sustainability, particularly for slow‑growing species like orange roughy. The history of this fishery demonstrates significant challenges in maintaining sustainable stock levels, requiring a precautionary approach.

Fishing during spawning has significant detrimental impacts on orange roughy populations and is inconsistent with the purpose of the Fisheries Act and its environmental principles. We submit that spawning closures should be permanent, not treated as a temporary rebuilding measure, and that closures must avoid displacing fishing effort into other spawning areas.

We also highlight the need to monitor and address displacement effects, as well as improve understanding of habitats of significance and ecosystem impacts. Similar protections should be applied to all orange roughy spawning areas in Aotearoa New Zealand waters.