Pōrae
Introduction
Pōrae were introduced into the Quota Management System (QMS) in October 2004. The commercial fishing year for porae is 1 October to 30 September the following year.
The initial Total Allowable Catch (TAC), Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) and allowances for Pōrae 1, 3 and 10 were set in October 2004 at their introduction to the QMS, and have not changed since. The TAC and TACC for Pōrae 2 increased in 2012 due to commercial catches exceeding the TACC in previous years.
Landings of pōrae by commercial fishers were first reported in 1978. Pōrae 1 has the biggest annual commercial catch compared to other areas.
Biology
Pōrae was a common inshore species in northern waters. Over summer it is sometimes found as far south as Kapiti Island, the Cook Strait and Kaikoura.
In Australia pōrae are known as the grey or rubberlip morwong.
Pōrae usually grow to 40-60cm long and weigh 4-5 kilos. They are usually found in waters between 20 to 80 metres deep.
Stock status
Fisheries New Zealand report that there are no estimates of current and reference biomass and that it is not known if recent catch levels or TACs are sustainable. The status of POR 1, 2, and 3 relative to BMSY is also unknown.
Catches
Table 1: Total Allowable Catches (TACs), Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACCs) and allowances for pōrae, in tonnes (t).
| Fishstock | Recreational allowance | Maori customary allowance | Other mortality | TACC | TAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POR 1 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 68 | 85 |
| POR 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 22 |
| POR 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| POR 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Total (tonnes) | 9 | 6 | 12 | 89 | 116 |
Pōrae is usually caught as a bycatch in inshore set net fisheries in northern New Zealand. It is generally caught with snapper and trevally off east coast of Northland and the Coromandel Peninsula. It is also associated with commercial catches of tarakihi and blue moki around Gisborne. Small quantities are taken by bottom longline and trawl fisheries targeting snapper off east Northland and Ninety Mile Beach.
There is no quantitive information on Māori customary harvest of pōrae. It is assumed that small quantities are taken by customary fishers targeting other species such as snapper, tarakihi and trevally.
Recreational harvest is measured using the National Panel Survey first conducted in 2011-12 and more recently in 2017-18. Total recreational harvest of pōrae fell by 53% between the 2012 and 2018 surveys.
Most recreational catch of pōrae is taken off the northeast coast of the North Island, some off the northwest coast, with a much smaller amount landed south of East Cape. Most pōrae are caught using a rod and reel, with netting the next most popular method used.
The majority of recreational catch is taken from trailer boats, and off-land is the 2nd most popular platform recorded by fishers in National Panel Survey.
Management controls
There is no minimum size limit applying to pōrae catch. For recreational fishers pōrae are counted in the combined daily finfish bag limit of 20 per person, per day. A minimum mesh size limit of 100mm applies to the use of set nets and drag nets.
Management processes
TAC review Pōrae 1, June 2020.
TAC review Pōrae 1, 2012. (details to be added)