ISSN 2070-7010 FAO 622 FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE TECHNICAL PAPER 622 Global review of orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), their fisheries, biology and management Global review of orange roughy ( This publication is intended to provide a range stakeholders and interested parties with an understanding of orange roughy fisheries around the world. The report covers historic aspects of the regional development of the fisheries, biology, stock assessment and key management issues. Recent developments in science and approaches to management are specifically highlighted with respect to the future for the sustainable management of deepwater, orange roughy fisheries. There are a number of considered, published documents that discuss whether it is possible to have Hoplostethus atlanticus sustainable orange roughy fisheries (or other deepwater fisheries for long-lived species). These reviews draw on the common global experience of previous poor understanding about orange roughy productivity and the associated likelihood of overfishing, and the potential timescale for stock recovery, which led to ‘boom and bust’ orange roughy fisheries that frequently resulted in depleted stocks. The more recent experience, with improved technology, better approaches to modelling population dynamics in orange roughy, and a more considered and robust approach to setting up the management framework (harvest strategy, management strategy evaluation, appropriately estimated limit and target reference points or ranges, and effective harvest control rules) provides a different paradigm. Essentially, ), their fisheries, biology and management assumptions about the unmanageability of these fisheries are flawed and that provided appropriate steps are taken to set and deliver a low and appropriate level of fishing mortality, orange roughy fisheries can be both managed and sustainable. The improved understanding of the productivity of orange roughy now provides a basis for better estimating yields and fishery value that are both more realistic and compatible with sustainably managed fisheries. This review, contrasts these two perspectives and, whilst there is still considerable discussion and opposed view points, the message has clearly changed: sustainable orange roughy fisheries should be achievable. This review describes how, by making he right choices, this can be achieved. ISBN 978-92-5-131023-6 ISSN 2070-7010 FAO 9789251 310236 CA1870EN/1/11.18 Cover photographs: Adult orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), and juvenile orange roughy (H. atlanticus) from central New Zealand, of ages about 1 year (left) and 5 years (right). Photographs courtesy of M. Dunn. FAO FISHERIES AND Global review of orange AQUACULTURE TECHNICAL roughy (Hoplostethus PAPER atlanticus), their fisheries, 622 biology and management Edited by Dr Geoffrey Tingley FAO Consultant Wellington, New Zealand and Dr Matthew Dunn Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2018 Tingley, G. & Dunn, M., Eds. 2018. Global review of orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), their fisheries, biology and management. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 622. Rome. 128 pp. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-131023-6 © FAO, 2018 Some rights reserved. This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Under the terms of this licence, this work may be copied, redistributed and adapted for non-commercial purposes, provided that the work is appropriately cited. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that FAO endorses any specific organization, products or services. The use of the FAO logo is not permitted. If the work is adapted, then it must be licensed under the same or equivalent Creative Commons license. If a translation of this work is created, it must include the following disclaimer along with the required citation: “This translation was not created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). FAO is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this translation. The original English edition shall be the authoritative edition. Any mediation relating to disputes arising under the licence shall be conducted in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) as at present in force. Third-party materials. Users wishing to reuse material from this work that is attributed to a third party, such as tables, figures or images, are responsible for determining whether permission is needed for that reuse and for obtaining permission from the copyright holder. The risk of claims resulting from infringement of any third-party-owned component in the work rests solely with the user. Sales, rights and licensing. FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. Requests for commercial use should be submitted via: www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request. Queries regarding rights and licensing should be submitted to: [email protected]. iii Preparation of this document This report has been developed by the authors, with guidance from workshop participants, and using material presented, at the FAO Workshop on the Science in Support of Management of the Fisheries for Orange Roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), held in Auckland, New Zealand, from 7 to 9 June 2016. The workshop was organized by FAO, with support from Dr Geoff Tingley, a consultant. In total, 13 participants attended the workshop in their individual capacities as regional experts on the subjects of the science of orange roughy and deep-sea fisheries, orange roughy stock assessment, and in the management of orange roughy fisheries. The workshop was organized as part of the FAO Deep-sea Fisheries Programme, which supports the implementation of the International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas (adopted in 2008). These guidelines provide guidance to States and regional fisheries management organizations on arrangements to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of deep-sea marine living resources in the high seas, including preventing significant adverse impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems. The workshop was financed with the support of two of the projects under the FAO Deep-sea Fisheries Programme: Support for the implementation of the International Guidelines on the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas, funded by Norway; and Fisheries Management and Marine Conservation within a Changing Ecosystem Context – deep-sea fisheries component, funded by Japan. The workshop addressed key issues identified in relation to the management of deep-sea fisheries in the high seas, and directly contributed to the goal and objectives of the Global Environment Facility-funded Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) Deep Seas Project: Sustainable Fisheries Management and Biodiversity Conservation of Deep-sea Living Marine Resources and Ecosystems in the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. iv Abstract This publication is intended to provide a range of stakeholders and interested parties with an understanding of orange roughy fisheries around the world. The report covers historical aspects of the regional development of orange roughy fisheries, biology, stock assessment, ecosystem interactions, and key management issues. Recent developments in science and approaches to management are specifically highlighted with respect to future management of sustainable deepwater orange roughy fisheries. The sustainability of orange roughy fisheries, or other fisheries for long-lived deepwater species, has been widely discussed. These reviews invariably draw on the common global experience of previous poor understanding about orange roughy productivity, rapid development of targeted industrial fisheries, the associated likelihood of overfishing and extended timescales for stock recovery, and an ensuing series of “boom and bust” orange roughy fisheries that frequently resulted in depleted stocks. The more recent experience, with greater knowledge, improved technology, better approaches to modelling population dynamics in orange roughy, and a more considered and robust approach to setting up the management framework (harvest strategy, management strategy evaluation, appropriately estimated limit and target reference points or ranges, and effective harvest control rules), provides a different paradigm. Essentially, many of the assumptions about the unmanageability of these fisheries are not supported by the more recent evidence. Provided appropriate steps are taken to set