Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System

EspañolFrançais
Orange roughy - Southwest Pacific
Marine Resource  Fact Sheet
Stock status report 2017
Orange roughy - Southwest Pacific
Fact Sheet Citation  
Orange roughy
Owned bySouth Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) – More
Monitoring periodThis marine resource is reported in FIRMS from 1989.
Related observationsLocate in inventorydisplay tree map
 
Species:
FAO Names: en - Orange roughy, fr - Hoplostète orange, es - Reloj anaranjado, ru - Большеголов атлантический (=берикс исландский)

Fishery Indicators
Production: Catch
Geographic extent of Orange roughy - Southwest Pacific
Main Descriptors
Considered a single stock: No        Spatial Scale: Regional
Management unit: Yes        Reference year: 2015
 
 
Biological State and Trend
State & Trend Descriptors
FIRMS
Exploitation rateNot applicable
Abundance levelNot applicable
FAO Categories
Exploitation stateMaximally sustainably fished
Habitat and Biology
Climatic zone: Temperate.   Depth zone: Slope - Deepslope (500 m - 1000 m).   Horizontal distribution: Oceanic.   Vertical distribution: Demersal.   Geo Form: Seamounts.  


In the South Pacific, orange roughy aggregates in deep, cold waters (3-9 ˚C) over steep continental slopes, canyons, ocean ridges, and underwater topographical features such as seamounts, especially during spawning and feeding. Orange roughy can also be dispersed over smooth bottoms, rough bottoms, and steep, rough grounds. Orange roughy are bentho-pelagic, generally occurring near the bottom but at times ascending to feed or spawn 50-100 m above the seafloor. 
Geographical Distribution
Jurisdictional distribution: Straddling between High Seas and EEZ

Water Area Overview
Spatial Scale: Regional

Geo References
Resource Structure
Considered a single stock: No


This species occurs in the North and South Atlantic, in the South-Central Indian Ocean, in the Tasman Sea, on the New Zealand shelf, on seamounts and ridges to the east of New Zealand, and off central and southern Chile. In the South Pacific, orange roughy aggregates in deep, cold waters over steep continental slopes, canyons, ocean ridges, and underwater topographical features such as seamounts, especially during spawning and feeding.
Exploitation
 

As described in SC5-DW13_rev1.
Fishery Indicators
TypeMeasureValueUnitTime period
ProductionCatch 19tonnes1981
Catch 50tonnes1982
Catch 84tonnes1983
Catch 0tonnes1984
Catch 0tonnes1985
Catch 5tonnes1986
Catch 3tonnes1987
Catch 6tonnes1988
Catch 1047tonnes1989
Catch 163tonnes1990
Catch 53tonnes1991
Catch 714tonnes1992
Catch 4541tonnes1993
Catch 3130tonnes1994
Catch 12153tonnes1995
Catch 8870tonnes1996
Catch 5455tonnes1997
Catch 5411tonnes1998
Catch 8139tonnes1999
Catch 2977tonnes2000
Catch 4235tonnes2001
Catch 4116tonnes2002
Catch 3433tonnes2003
Catch 4070tonnes2004
Catch 3894tonnes2005
Catch 2494tonnes2006
Catch 1470tonnes2007
Catch 837tonnes2008
Catch 1154tonnes2009
Catch 1467tonnes2010
Catch 974tonnes2011
Catch 769tonnes2012
Catch 1207tonnes2013
Catch 1045tonnes2014
Catch 1193tonnes2015
Assessment
Level of uncertainty: High


A preliminary data-poor stock assessment method is applied to seven orange roughy SPRFMO stocks. The method uses an age-structured population model, with a single fishery on mature fish, and biological parameters borrowed from stock assessments of five New Zealand EEZ orange roughy stocks. The focus of the method is on Bmin which is the minimum virgin biomass that would allow the historical catches to be taken assuming a maximum exploitation rate of 67% (a considered value that has been used in New Zealand orange roughy stock assessments for more than 20 years).
Data

Catch history
Assessment Model
Type:  Others
CASAL (Catch-history, Age-Structured Simulation)

A single area, single sex, age structured model (1-100 years with a plus group) was used with Bayesian estimation of virgin biomass (B0). In addition to age, fish were also classified by maturity (immature or mature). A single fishery was assumed to occur at the end of the year on mature fish only. Natural mortality (M) was fixed at 0.45 and a Beverton-Holt stock recruitment relationship was assumed with h = 0.75 (both standard and long-running assumptions for New Zealand orange roughy).
Overall Assessment Results

The assessment results indicate that five of the seven SPRFMO stocks assessed are very likely to be above the LRP of 20% B0 and most of them are probably above 30% B0. The recent exploitation rates for these stocks are not excessive (being zero in some cases). There is an indication that North West Challenger and Lord Howe Rise may be below the LRP and that recent exploitation rates could be very high.
Scientific Advice

With respect to the assessment of SPRFMO orange roughy stocks and ensuring sustainable fisheries, the Scientific Committee: i) Noting that the stocks on the Louisville Ridge (Louisville North, Central and South) have a lower potential of having low stock status, recommends a catch limit for the whole of the Louisville Ridge based on the sum of the 50th percentile yield estimates provided in SC5-DW14, the CHA stock assessment method, of 1,140 tonnes to apply for the area for no more than 2 years. A significantly more precautionary approach is recommended if insufficient advancement is made in data collection and stock assessments for the relevant stocks within 2 years. The Scientific Committee recommends that, within this group, the Louisville Central stock should be prioritised for improved data collection and stock assessment. ii) Noting that the stocks in the Tasman Sea (Lord Howe Rise, Northwest Challenger Plateau, and West Norfolk Ridge) are estimated to have a higher potential of being depleted, recommends a catch limit for the Tasman Sea stocks based on a 0.5 scaling of the 50th percentile yield estimates provided for relevant stocks in SC5-DW14 (690 tonnes) from the CHA stock assessment method, resulting in a catch limit of 346 tonnes for the area to apply for no more than 3 years. A significantly more precautionary approach is recommended if insufficient advancement is made in data collection to support stock assessments for the relevant stocks in 3 years. The SC recommend that, within this group, the Lord Howe Rise and Northwest Challenger Plateau stocks should be prioritised for improved data collection and stock assessment. iii) Notes that New Zealand will advise the Commission on an allowance for Westpac Bank which would be in addition to the limit proposed above. iv) Recommends no allowance be included for the South Tasman Rise area which is closed to fishing by Australian and New Zealand vessels.
Management
Management unit: Yes


Target trawl fisheries for orange roughy have occurred in the South Pacific since the late 1970’s to the present day. The Lord Howe Rise and Northwest Challenger Plateau have been the main areas of orange roughy catch in the Tasman Sea outside the New Zealand and Australian EEZs. A fishery on the Norfolk Ridge is a recent development, and the Louisville Ridge fishery to the east of New Zealand continues. Catches peaked in the area in the mid 1990s at around 15,000 t, but in recent years have been 2,000-3,000 t. Orange roughy in the SPRFMO Area are managed under CMM03-2019 (Bottom Fishing) and CMM03a-2019 (Deepwater species).
Source of information
 
SPRFMO. 2017. Report of the fifth meeting of the Scientific Committee, Shanghai, China 23-28 September 2017.  Click to openhttp://www.sprfmo.int/assets/SC5-2017/SC05-Report-Final-4Oct2017.pdf
SPRFMO. 2007. Information describing orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus fisheries relating to the South Pacific Regional Fishery Management Organisation.  Click to openhttp://www.sprfmo.int/assets/Fisheries/Species-Profiles/SP-07-SWG-INF-09-Last-Orange-roughy-species-profile-040507-Chilean-revision.pdf
All references to figures, tables and bibliography in the text are found within the source of information.
powered by FIGIS  © FAO, 2023
Powered by FIGIS
crawl