Welcome to New Zealand’s best fish guide
Welcome to our guide to buying sustainable New Zealand seafood.
New Zealand is blessed with a wide range of nutritious and tasty seafood
harvested in pristine waters.
We hope this best fish guide helps you choose New Zealand seafood with confidence.
Queenstown chef Darren Lovell, whose restaurant Fishbone won a One Hat award in the 2016 Cuisine Good Food Awards
describes his journey of discovery into the sustainability of New Zealand seafood
Wellington chef Jacob Brown, another Chef’s Hat winner, is also an advocate for sustainable New Zealand seafood
Aaron Stott of Wellington's Tinakori Bistro has returned from overseas and is enjoying the wide variety of sustainable species on offer in New Zealand.
The cornerstone of New Zealand's fisheries management regime is the Quota Management System
(QMS), which has protected our fisheries since 1986 ensuring there is plenty of seafood for generations to come.
There are 100 species managed under the QMS.
Meet Johhny Burkhart, a rock lobster fishermen
Meet Chris Patrick, a deepwater skipper from Nelson
Meet Tony Roach, an inshore fisherman from Nelson
Our farmed species are managed to the highest standard and is building further on its sustainability credentials with the launch of A+, the new standard of sustainable aquaculture.
New Zealand King Salmon has been recognised as one of the world’s most sustainable fish.
Click here to learn more about our commitment to sustainable practices.
The New Zealand is internationally respected for its innovative and world-leading approach to
sustainable science-based fisheries and aquaculture management.
Seven popular New Zealand fish species - hake, hoki, ling, orange roughy, southern blue whiting, and albacore and skipjack tuna - have all gained Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, the global gold standard for sustainability.
Read about New Zealand's ranking
A study by Professor Ray Hilborn from the University of Washington ranked New Zealand in the world’s top five best managed fisheries
Professor Hilborn gives an overview on fisheries management over the last decade.
The president of the National Fisheries
Institute, United States, John Connelly,
has praised New Zealand for punching well
above its weight in fisheries management.
Our fisheries are performing well - 83.2 percent of fish stocks known status are healthy according to Ministry of Primary Industries research.
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish - Fisheries scientists measure the abundance of our fishstocks. See how the fish are counted.
Sound peer-reviewed science underpins the management for New Zealand's fisheries.
NIWA plays a major role in ensuring our fisheries remain sustainable. Find out more about
NIWA's work.
Our professional fishermen and fish farmers care about the environment. Their footprint is light.
More that 90 percent of the seabed is untouched by trawlers and as well as many other voluntary closures, there are 44 marine reserves in our waters where there is no fishing.
Industry has led by establishing benthic protection areas (BPAs) to protect the sea bed. No trawling can occur in these areas which cover more than 30 percent of New Zealand's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - that's more than four times New Zealand's land mass.
The industry works in partnership with government agencies and NGO and has a wide range
of initiatives to minimise the impact of fishing on marine mammals and seabirds.
There are rules and restrictions in place to carefully manage our fisheries. Catch limits, observers, and other measures help to ensure sustainability and access for all New Zealanders.
