Acoura Marine Final Report New Zealand southern Blue Whiting Trawl Fishery MSC SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES CERTIFICATION New Zealand Southern Blue Whiting Trawl Fishery Final Report August 2018 Prepared for: Deepwater Group Limited Prepared by: Acoura Marine Ltd Authors: Robert O’Boyle, Rob Blyth-Skyrme, Jo Akroyd and Paul Knapman Acoura Version V2.1 04/01/17 Acoura Marine Final Report New Zealand southern blue whiting trawl Contents Table of Tables ..................................................................................................................... 5 Table of Figures .................................................................................................................... 7 Glossary................................................................................................................................ 9 1 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... 11 1 Authorship and Peer Reviewers ................................................................................... 13 1.1 Assessment Team ................................................................................................ 13 1.1.1 Peer Reviewers ............................................................................................. 15 1.1.2 Risk Based Framework (RBF) ....................................................................... 16 1.1.3 Introduced Species Based Fishery (ISBF) ..................................................... 16 2 Description of the Fishery ............................................................................................ 17 2.1 Unit of Certification (UoC) and Scope of Certification Sought ................................ 17 2.1.1 Target Species and Stocks ............................................................................ 17 2.1.2 Fishing Method .............................................................................................. 17 2.1.3 Client Group .................................................................................................. 17 2.1.4 Other Eligible Fishers ..................................................................................... 18 2.1.5 The UoCs ...................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Final UoC(s) .......................................................................................................... 20 2.2.1 Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) and Catch Data .......................... 20 2.3 Overview of the fishery ......................................................................................... 20 3 Changes Since Initial Assessment ............................................................................... 23 3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................... 23 3.2 Specific Changes Since Initial Assessment ........................................................... 23 3.2.1 Principle 1 ...................................................................................................... 23 3.2.2 Principle 2 ...................................................................................................... 55 3.2.3 Background ................................................................................................... 55 3.2.4 Retained and bycatch species ....................................................................... 55 3.2.5 Endangered, threatened or protected (ETP) species ..................................... 57 3.2.6 Habitats ......................................................................................................... 66 3.2.7 Ecosystem ..................................................................................................... 69 3.2.8 Principle 3 ...................................................................................................... 70 3.2.9 Background ................................................................................................... 70 3.2.10 Jurisdiction ..................................................................................................... 70 3.2.11 Legal and Customary Framework .................................................................. 70 3.2.12 Consultation ................................................................................................... 71 3.2.13 Objectives for the fishery ............................................................................... 71 3.2.14 Decision making process ............................................................................... 72 3.2.15 Management Plans ........................................................................................ 73 3.2.16 Research Plan ............................................................................................... 74 Page 2 of 273 Acoura Marine Full Assessment Template per MSC V2.0 02/12/2015 Acoura Marine Final Report New Zealand southern blue whiting trawl 3.2.17 Compliance and Enforcement ........................................................................ 74 3.2.18 Monitoring of Performance ............................................................................. 76 4 Evaluation Procedure ................................................................................................... 77 4.1 Harmonised fishery assessment ........................................................................... 77 4.2 Previous assessments .......................................................................................... 78 4.3 Assessment Methodologies .................................................................................. 81 4.4 Evaluation Processes & Techniques ..................................................................... 81 4.4.1 Site Visit ......................................................................................................... 81 4.4.2 Consultations ................................................................................................. 82 4.4.3 Evaluation Techniques ................................................................................... 84 5 Traceability .................................................................................................................. 86 5.1 Eligibility Date ....................................................................................................... 86 5.2 Traceability Within the Fishery .............................................................................. 86 5.2.1 Tracking and Tracing ..................................................................................... 86 5.2.2 Vessels Fishing Outside the UoCs ................................................................. 86 5.2.3 At Sea Processing ......................................................................................... 87 5.2.4 Transhipping .................................................................................................. 87 5.2.5 Eligibility to Enter Further Chains of Custody ................................................. 88 5.3 Eligibility of Inseparable or Practicably Inseparable (IPI) stock(s) to Enter Further Chains of Custody ........................................................................................................... 89 6 Evaluation Results ....................................................................................................... 90 6.1 Principle Level and Performance Indicator Scores ................................................ 90 6.2 Summary of Conditions ......................................................................................... 91 6.3 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 91 6.4 Determination, Formal Conclusion and Agreement ............................................... 91 References ......................................................................................................................... 92 Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 101 Appendix 1 - Performance Indicator Scores and Rationale ............................................ 101 Evaluation Table for PI 1.1.1 – Stock status .................................................................. 101 Evaluation Table for PI 1.1.2 – Reference Points .......................................................... 103 Evaluation Table for PI 1.1.3 – Stock rebuilding ............................................................ 106 Evaluation Table for PI 1.2.1 – Harvest strategy ............................................................ 107 Evaluation Table for PI 1.2.2 – Harvest control rules and tools ...................................... 111 Evaluation Table for PI 1.2.3 – Information and monitoring............................................ 114 Evaluation Table for PI 1.2.4 – Assessment of stock status ........................................... 118 Evaluation Table for PI 2.1.1 – Retained species outcome ............................................ 122 Evaluation Table for PI 2.1.2 – Retained species management ..................................... 124 Evaluation Table for PI 2.1.3 – Retained species information ........................................ 127 Evaluation Table for PI 2.2.1 – Bycatch species outcome ............................................. 130 Evaluation Table for PI 2.2.2 – Bycatch