The New Zealand Best Fish Guide - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 380

Table 18.6 Weighting of criteria.

Weighting constant Criteria

1 × Management and research

2 × Fishing methods

2 × Biology and risk of overfishing

2× Management unit

3× Status and sustainable yield

3× Protected species or globally threatened species bycatch

give a strong indicator of ecosystem health and the impact of a fishery on key
species. The overall score of a fishery is the sum of the scores against each criterion
multiplied by its weighting constant.

18.3.5 Individual fish species
The Best Fish Guide assessed 62 commercially caught species (68 in 2005) in New
Zealand (Weeber & Szabo 2004, 2005). For each species included in the guide (e.g.
see Box 18.1) the following information was provided:
names, including indigenous Maori name;
description of the fish species;
main concerns;
summary of results from the most recent Ministry of Fisheries stock assessment;
market values and export information;
status and sustainable yield from stocks including catch limits and actual catches;
fishing methods used and impacts of methods on habitats, bycatch and ecological
effects.
management regime including whether it is covered by the QMS;
biology of species including distribution, maximum age, age at maturity, growth
and age exploited; and
key references.

Box 18.1 Best Fish Guide Description of Hoki
Fishery: Hoki ( Macruronus novaezelandiae )
Other names: Whiptail, blue hake, blue grenadier (NZ); Langschwanz-Seehecht
(Germany); Merluse (France); Merluza azul (Spain); Nasello azzurro (Italy).
Ranking: E (red - avoid)
Description: Hoki is a relative of cod and trawling occurs year round. It is
currently New Zealand's largest fishery and has the greatest impact of any fishery.
The main concerns with this fishery are: the bycatch of hundreds of NZ fur seals,
albatrosses and petrels each year, the management of two stocks as one quota