New Zealand's seafood industry plays a key role in the country's economy, contributing around $2 billion in export earnings and employing more than 16,500 people, who provide New Zealand and the world with high quality, nutritious and great tasting seafood.

Seafood New Zealand’s primarily focus is deepwater and inshore wild capture fisheries, but works closely with other sectors to ensure a thriving and sustainable seafood sector that is valued by New Zealanders and our trading partners.

The seafood industry is committed to providing high quality careers in local communities through our sustainable and innovative provision of safe seafood.

Inshore Council

The Inshore Coucil works to advance interests in inshore finfish, pelagic and tuna fisheries. We ensure that New Zealand gains the maximum economic yields from its inshore fisheries resources, managed within a long-term sustainable framework.

Our mission is to provide dynamic and transparent leadership, inform decision making and actively engage with our members, officials and other stakeholders. 

We represent participants in New Zealand’s major inshore commercial fisheries, including snapper, blue cod, bluenose, tarakihi, warehou, gurnard, rig, blue moki, flounder, hapuka (groper), trevally, flatfish, school shark and John dory and Coromandel scallops. Tuna and pelagic fishers catch southern blue fin tuna, skipjack tuna, albacore, kahawai and mackerels. Members of Fisheries Inshore New Zealand own more than 51% of the quota in 192 fish-stocks and between 40% and 51% in a further 13 fish-stocks.

Aquaculture New Zealand

Aquaculture New Zealand is a small, dedicated team of professionals passionate about supporting the sustainable growth of aquaculture in New Zealand and proudly representing our marine farmers. 

Paua Industry Council

The Paua Industry Council Ltd is the national umbrella service agency for the five regional commercial stakeholder groups representing commercial paua fishery interests. Each regional representative group (PauaMAC - derived from the Quota Management System designation for paua, and Management Area Council) draws its membership and mandate from fishing and non-fishing quota owners, ACE holders, permit holders, processors and exporters from within the main seven designated management areas. The paua industry is designed as a "bottom up" driven organisational structure, with decision making primarily resting with individual quota owners and dive crews. Its organisations' primary aims are firstly to work to ensure the health of the New Zealand paua fisheries and secondly to act as advocate for its members interests.

The paua industry is a small but important export earner for New Zealand at around $57m per annum in recent years.

Commercial Fisheries Services (Fishserve)

Fishserve was established in 1999 to ensure the independent provision of services to the NZ commercial fishing industry. It supports the seafood sector in meeting statutory obligations under the 1996 Fisheries Act.

There are two mechanisms in which Fishserve deliver these services. The first is a contract to the Ministry for Primary Industries. Examples of services delivered under this contract include issuing fishing permits, collecting daily fishing information, and managing fishing quota allocations.

Fishserve is also the appointed Approved Service Delivery Organisation (ASDO). As the ASDO Fishserve has direct accountability to the Minister for all functions and duties transferred to it. These service functions include vessel and GPR registrations, and Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE) management.

For more information vist the Fishserve website.