Quantifying and reducing interactions between commercial fishing gear and the seabed in New Zealand

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The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the capability of moving our understanding of trawl footprints away from assumptions associated with nominal trawl footprints to trawl footprints driven by in situ empirical data collection. The objective is to better understand and manage our interactions with the oceanic environment.

There is recognition that trawl efficiency needs to be improved in response to the pressures on fishers to economically catch sustainable seafood to meet consumer demand in an ever-changing regulatory and environmental situation. Embracing new technology and associated data streams to meet these challenges is consistent with the recommendations from the Future of Aotearoa commercial fisheries report to move to a data driven future.

The study demonstrates fishers can use these sensors to inform decisions regarding gear changes to change their contact profile specific to their vessel to optimise their operations while minimising contact. This aligns with the Industry Transformation Plan to support operators who are innovating to improve trawl efficiency and mitigate environmental effects.