Hoki
Map ID Number: Not mapped during the workshop
Location: Throughout New Zealand except in the Kermadec Islands region; most abundant south of East Cape
Approximate area: Not recorded during the workshop
Description of area:
Not mapped during the workshop.
Biological attributes:
Hoki (Macruronus novaezelandiae) is the dominant fish species in depths of 200-800m. On the Chatham Rise, hoki biomass is equal to that of all other fishes combined. It occurs in around 97% of research trawl tows. There are massive hoki spawning aggregations off Hokitika Canyon, in Cook Strait, Conway Trough, and Mernoo Saddle. Adult and juvenile hoki are important prey for a variety of large marine predators including ling (Genypterus blacodes), hake (Merluccius australis), New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) and dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus).
Criteria applied:
Dependency for other species; trophic/ functional diversity; degree of disturbance; species with a global distribution but New Zealand is a stronghold/significant; seasonal/ migratory importance; unusual degree/ proportion of biomass; aggregations.
Status and management:
Hoki are heavily exploited and populations are currently declining. There has been a reduction in the allowable commercial catch from 250,000 tonnes/year in 2001 to 100,000 tonnes/year in 2004.
State of information:
Hoki are one of the most intensively studied New Zealand species.
References and further reading:
Anderson et al. (1998), Bull et al. (2001), Hurst et al. (2000a, 2000b), Livingston et al. (2003), O’Driscoll et al. (2003).