Whiringa-a-nuku 2007
Issue 12b

  1. Why AFL?
  2. The Gift of the Whale: Inupiat hunting
  3. Balance needed in sharing fishing interest
  4. Only 11 iwi organisations left to mandate
  5. Shane Jones hangs up fisheries boots
  6. New Chair for AFL, Sealord
  7. Directors chosen for Te Ohu board
  8. East Coast Iwi celebrates AFL deal
  9. AFL lobster facility opens in Napier
  10. New Sealord CEO demonstrates passion for fishing
  11. Maori fisheries helps build new crab fishery
  12. Scholars embark on Japanese study trip
  13. Aquaculture analyst heads to Japan
  14. Directors for Trusts appointed
  15. North Island eel fishery cut
  16. Maori TV to show fishing documentary
  17. Forestry man for Maori fishing company
  18. Recovery of government costs discussed
  19. Fisheries Amendment Bill delayed further
  20. New role for AFL accountant
  21. New receptionist for Te Ohu Kaimoana
  22. Financial manager moves to US firm

Other Issues >>

Maori fisheries helps build new crab fishery

It's not quite the Deadliest Catch - the popular Discovery Channel programme about the dangerous Alaskan king crab fishery in the Bering Strait - but New Zealand companies are working hard to develop their own lucrative industry with deepwater crabs from Southern waters.

Through a collaborative arrangement between Te Ohu Kaimoana, Aotearoa Fisheries Limited, New Zealand Longline in Nelson and Live Fish in Auckland, a company called Crabco has been established and is working to develop the fishery off the New Zealand coast for quota holders. The majority of quota holders in QMAs 1, 2 and 9 are involved in the research and development.

A fisher aboard the crab fishing vessel Perseverance shows the size of the deepwater red crab (Chaceon bicolar). It was caught in 800m of water in QMA1.

Since May this year, the vessel “Perseverance” has been plying the waters of Quota Management Area 1 (QMA1) conducting research on the fishery as well as learning the best methods for catching the seafood.

The objective for Crabco is to collect fine scale data on a pot by pot basis to find out more about the biology of the fishery such as biomass, the species mix, water depths, habitat and other scientific information that will allow an economically viable fishery to develop while setting sustainable catch limits. Crabco enlisted the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) to help design the research methodology.

Crabs are a popular meal choice among many countries in the world, including high demand markets in the United States, Asia and Europe. Through the beneficial ownership of AFL and Te Ohu Kaimoana, iwi have a significant investment in Crabco, says Te Ohu Kaimoana senior fisheries analyst Alan Riwaka.

“Through research and development, Crabco aims to build up the science on the fishery to increase the total allowable commercial catch. It is also working on processing, harvesting and marketing to ensure a sustainable business,” he says. “If we can build up the TACC through sound research and development, it will certainly add value to the fishery for the quota owners.”

The harvesting and research is carried out through a modified longliner called the “Perseverance”. She has undergone considerable modifications for operation, including the installation of a new hydraulic pot hauling system, a refrigerated seawater holding tank and modifications to improve the safety of the working deck. The vessel, which has made nine trips since May this year, spends up to seven days each trip and has yielded about half a tonne of crab each time. This volume continues to increase as the fishers lean more about the substrate and depths where the crabs reside.

In the beginning, Crabco didn't catch a lot because they were still learning the best methods. However, the most recent trip saw a catch of 800kgs in late August. It is hoped that in the near future, each seven-day voyage will net between 1.5 and 2 tonne of crab, which Crabco will look to sell for up to $40 per kg.

Most crabs harvested so far are the deep sea red crab, which are caught in conical pots at depths between 700m and 1200m and, despite their name, come in a variety of colours - from deep red to white and others in between. Eventually Crabco hopes to include King Crab and Giant Spider Crab on the menu as well.

Alan says the company is currently developing processing and marketing arms while the research is being carried out. “It is our intention to export live crabs into overseas markets, but there's a lot to understand about this, such as the methods for ensuring the product arrives in peak condition.” Understanding the best temperature for transporting the crabs overseas, how they handle flying, and the best methods for handling and packing the product are just some of the challenges,” he says.

Once all of the challenges have been overcome, the crab fishery in New Zealand will become lucrative for the industry and provide good profits for iwi through their direct quota ownership and AFL.

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Tiakina ngā rawa hi ika, a tātou kaimoana mo ngā uri whakaheke
Protecting Māori fisheries assets for future generations