February 29, 2008

New Zealand's commercial fish resource worth US$3.1 billion
 

New Zealand's commercial fish resource in 2007 was estimated at NZ$3.8 billion (US$3.1 billion), up from NZ$2.7 billion (US$2.2 billion) in 1996, according to the Fish Monetary Stock Account 1996-2007.

In 2007, about 20 species of fish contributed to 90 percent of the total value.

Even though the value has increased significantly over the past decade, but the 2007 value is in actual fact, a drop from the NZ$3.9 billion (US$3.2 billion) value achieved in 2004.

Economic conditions, which include the high value of the New Zealand dollar and rising fuel prices, have likely influenced the asset value of the commercial fish stock.

Due to data limitations, this valuation does not include fish that are not managed by the quota management system (QMS).

This report is part of a series of statistics that can be used to monitor the interaction between the economy and the environment.