Protect Orange Roughy Have Your Say Before 28 July
New Zealand’s orange roughy fishery is facing collapse in the main fishing ground. Fisheries New Zealand is consulting on proposed changes to catch limits, and potentially even an area closure in the ORH 3B fishery.
This is a Critical Moment for Public Input - Make Your Submission Today
Deadline: 9am, 28 July 2025
Email: FMsubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
Subject: Review of sustainability measures for orange roughy (ORH 3B)
Critical Facts About Orange Roughy ORH 3B Stock Facing Collapse
The East and South Chatham Rise (ESCR) orange roughy population is facing collapse. Current stock assessments show the population ‘biomass’ is between 8-18% of its original size, with one model indicating the population may have already collapsed. This represents a dramatic decline from peak catches of nearly 30,000 tonnes annually (1988-1990) to just 2,198 tonnes in 2023-24. Half of New Zealand’s orange roughy catch comes from this area; it is the biggest orange roughy population in the world.
The Urgent Need for Action
Recovery Timeline: Even if the ESCR fishery is closed immediately, scientific modelling indicates recovery to safe levels would take 33-74 years, possibly over 100 years. This timeline reflects the species' extreme vulnerability - orange roughy can live over 200 years and mature very slowly.
Fishery Management Failure: The 2023 stock survey invalidated previous assessments that predicted recovery, leading to suspension of Marine Stewardship Council certification. The 2025 assessment confirms the population is critically depleted. The government and industry claim we have learned the lessons of the early ‘gold-rush’ days of orange roughy trawling, but clearly that’s not the case.
Key Messages for Your Submission
Support Maximum Protection Measures
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Advocate for the complete closure of the East and South Chatham orange roughy fishery
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Support the proposed 60% reduction in the wider ORH 3B catch limit*
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Emphasise that half-measures will not prevent collapse of this irreplaceable population
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End bottom trawling on ALL seamounts and features
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Stop issuing permits to trawl seamounts in the South Pacific high seas
Highlight the Broader Conservation Context
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New Zealand fisheries account for 80% of global orange roughy catch - we need to be leading sustainable fisheries, not destroying habitats and wiping out fish populations.
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Bottom trawling on seamounts destroys ancient coral ecosystems and impacts orange roughy life cycle
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Over 200 tonnes of coral bycatch has been reported over 13 years, almost all (99%) from bottom trawling, and around half of that from orange roughy fishing.
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Actual coral bycatch is likely to be far higher due to limited observer coverage – only around a third of deep water bottom trawls have fishery observers.
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In addition, the coral that comes up in the net is only a tiny fraction of what is destroyed on the seabed.
The 2025 Orange Roughy stock assessment shows critical depletion
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The East and South Chatham Rise (ESCR) stock, which accounts for half of NZ’s orange roughy catch, is now estimated at only 8–18% of its original biomass.
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One model shows the stock may already have collapsed.
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Protected seamounts like Morgue Seamount are vital to support remaining populations, whereas on heavily trawled areas like the nearby Graveyard Seamount, spawning aggregations are no longer found.
Economic and International Implications
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Long-term economic value requires sustainable management
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International reputation depends on responsible fisheries stewardship
Make Your Submission Today
Deadline: 9am, 28 July 2025
Email: FMsubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
Subject: Review of sustainability measures for orange roughy (ORH 3B)
Include in your submission:
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Your name, title, and contact details
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Organisation name (if applicable)
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Clear statement supporting maximum protection measures
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Complete closure of the East and South Chatham orange roughy fishery
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60% reduction in the wider ORH 3B catch limit
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Call to end bottom trawling on all seamounts and features and stop issuing permits to trawl seamounts in the South Pacific high sea
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Main issues:
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The damage that's been done to the world's biggest orange roughy population will be felt for generations.
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Ancient, protected corals, which are essential for healthy marine ecosystems are also being destroyed in this fishery.
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In the neighbouring area, scientists think that the closed seamount where orange roughy breed may be what's keeping the population in a better state.
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No steps are proposed to protect other areas in this fishery, including stocks with no stock assessment, and areas where there's been huge coral bycatch.
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The window for preventing collapse is rapidly closing. Scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that without urgent help, the world’s biggest orange roughy population could be lost, and ancient corals destroyed. Your submission can help ensure decision-makers understand the urgency and importance of maximum protection measures.
For further information on this process please see this MPI Submissions Page.
* This is the strongest option that Fisheries New Zealand is putting forward, but it still leaves other stocks at risk within the ORH3B fishery. For example:
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In the Northwest Chatham Rise orange roughy is no longer aggregating to breed at heavily trawled sites, and last year 6 tonnes of coral bycatch was dragged up in a single trawl.
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The Sub-Antarctic fishing area has never had a full stock assessment, one area that was investigated in the 1990s had been reduced to 6% of the population in only a few years of trawling.
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Fisheries New Zealand is not proposing any reduction to catch limits in these other parts of ORH 3B.
