Fisheries: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly


Orange Roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) is a fishery that can be found in New Zealand where the fish are caught using bottom trawls. These fish live in the deep ocean, specifically seamounts and deep-sea coral reefs.
 Orange Roughy Recommendations from the Seafood Watch Program
There are four current impacts/concerns for this fishery right now. The first one is negative impacts on the fisheries due to the fact that the orange roughy has a longer lifespan. They take 20 years to fully mature causing them to reproduce at a slower rate and be more vulnerable to over fishing. The next problem that has resulted from this fishery is bycatch of various species. These species include black and smooth oreos as well as the black cardinalfish. The black and smooth oreos also have a slower growth rate like the orange roughy. The biggest bycatch concern for this fishery is coral bycatch where deepwater corals and sponges are destroyed. The next issue puts into question the effectiveness of the management of the fishery under New Zealand’s Quota Management System. It is believed that the fish population is starting to recover but there is still some controversy about the habitat protection of coral and whether or not it is currently effective. The last impact found within this industry is on the habitats and overall ecosystem.


Rocky seafloor, urchins and orange roughyThere are currently Benthic Protection Areas but they do not cover a large amount of the orange roughy’s habitat. Within all of criterion 3, which is management effectiveness, is in the category of good alternative. Some good alternatives can be found in the criterion 1 category which is the impacts on the species. According to SeafoodWatch.com sustainable seafood is defined as, “. . . originating from sources, whether fished or farmed, that can maintain or increase production in the long-term without jeopardizing the structure or function of affected ecosystems”. This fish wouldn’t be considered sustainable though because although this is a better option there are still concerns on how they fish are caught. There is currently only one best choice or well managed area within the fish industry.

References
Maguire, Kylie. “Immersed in My Own Blue Planet, at a Fair Roll of 21.6°.” MARINE BIODIVERSITY HUB, Marine Biodiversity Hub, 9 Dec. 2018, www.nespmarine.edu.au/immersed-my-own-blue-planet-fair-roll-216%C2%B0.

Woolmer, Andy, and Jess Woo . “Monterey Bay Aqaurium Seafood Watch: Orange Roughy.” Seafoodwatch, Monterey Bay Aquarium, 21 July 2014, www.seafoodwatch.org/-/m/sfw/pdf/reports/o/mba_seafoodwatch_orangeroughyreport.pdf.

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