World Animals Data - Page 2

Our fish stocks are affected by commercial, customary, and recreational fishing, and environmental pressures (eg ocean temperature, acidity, and productivity). The Ministry for Primary Industries uses three performance measures to assess influences on fish stocks: a soft limit (below which a rebuilding plan is required), a hard limit (below which closing a fishery should be considered), and an overfishing threshold (where the rate of extraction is higher than the rate of replenishment).

New Zealand has a diverse range of marine mammal species and subspecies, including whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. Marine mammals are indicator species for the state of our marine environment. The conservation status of a species relates to its risk of extinction.
Many of these species are endemic (only found in) to New Zealand. They are apex species (near the top of the food chain) and can thrive only if their ecosystems are healthy. A decreasing population can indicate that the ecosystem is degrading. Marine mammals played an important part in New Zealand history; in the past whales and seals were hunted in great numbers. Now we have a rapidly-growing whale- and dolphin-watching industry.

New Zealand waters have at least 117 species of chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and other cartilaginous fish species). They are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they are long-lived, mature slowly, and have a low reproductive rate. Chondrichthyans are important for healthy ocean ecosystems, and reporting their commercial catch and bycatch helps us understand the sustainability of our fisheries.

New Zealand waters have at least 117 species of chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and other cartilaginous fish species). They are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they are long-lived, mature slowly, and have a low reproductive rate. Chondrichthyans are important for healthy ocean ecosystems, and reporting their commercial catch and bycatch helps us understand the sustainability of our fisheries.

We report on the conservation status and most recent change in status of indigenous (native), resident (breeds in New Zealand) marine species that have been assessed by New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) expert panels. This includes marine mammals (dolphins, whales, seals, and sea lions), seabirds and shorebirds, sharks, rays, and chimaeras (also known as ghost sharks), and a small fraction of marine invertebrates.

Conservation status is a representation of the threat classification of resident indigenous plant and animal species. The Department of Conservation (DOC) developed the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) to provide a national system that is similar to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List.

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.