Snapper
Introduction
Snapper were introduced into the Quota Management System (QMS) in 1986. The commercial fishing year for snapper is 1 October to 30 September the following year.
The initial Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACCs) for snapper were set in 1986, on their introduction into the QMS. The TACs and allowances for stocks were made in later years, and these varied between management areas.
Snapper 1 is the largest of all the snapper stocks supporting the highest catches by commercial and recreational fishers.
Biology
Snapper occupy a wide range of habitats, including rocky reefs and areas of mud and sandy bottom. They are serial spawners, releasing many batches of eggs during spring and summer.
Snapper first reach maturity from 20 to 28 cm fork length at 3-4 years of age.
Water temperature appears to play an important part in spawning success and subsequent recruitment of legal size fish. Generally, strong year classes correspond to warm years and weak classes correspond to cold years.
Snapper from Tasman Bay/Golden Bay and the west coast of the North Island grow faster and reach a larger average size than elsewhere.
Stock status
Snapper 1 is split into 3 sub-stocks for assessment purposes. The last assessment in 2013 reported the East Northland sub-stock at 24% of unfished biomass, and the combined Hauraki Gulf – Bay of Plenty sub-stocks at 19% of unfished biomass.
The status of the Snapper 2, 3 & 10 stocks are unknown.
There is an updated stock assessment for Snapper 7 showing a significant and sustained increase in biomass following some particularly good years of recruitment, young fish entering the fishery. In 2020 the SNA 7 stock is estimated to be at or above the interim management target of 40% of unfished biomass.
Results of a stock assessment for Snapper 8 stock are due later in 2020.
Catch limits
Table 1: Total Allowable Catches (TACs), Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACCs) and allowances for snapper, in tonnes (t).
| Fishstock | Recreational allowance | Māori customary allowance | Other mortality | TACC | TAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNA 1 | 3050 | 50 | 450 | 4500 | 8050 |
| SNA 2 | 90 | 14 | 31 | 315 | 450 |
| SNA 3 | — | — | — | 32** | — |
| SNA 7 | 250 | 30 | 38 | 450 | 768 |
| SNA 8 | 1205 | 100 | 160 | 1600 | 3065 |
| SNA 10 | — | — | — | 10 | — |
| TOTAL (tonnes) | 4595 | 194 | 679 | 6907 | 12333 (TACs)* |
The development of commercial snapper fisheries began in the last 1800s and expanded in the 1970s with increased catches by trawlers and Danish seine vessels. In the 1980s an increasing proportion of the SNA 1 catch was taken by longlining as the Japanese iki jime market developed.
Significant quantities of snapper were taken by Japanese vessels from the late 1950s until 1977. Data for these catches is incomplete.
The snapper fishery is the largest recreational fishery in New Zealand. It is the major target species on the northeast and northwest coast of the North Island, and is targeted seasonally around the rest of the North Island and the top of the South Island.
Annual harvest of snapper for Māori customary purposes is unknown.
Management controls
A 25 cm minimum size limit applies to the commercial catch of snapper in all areas. The minimum size limit (MLS) applying to recreational catch varies between areas. In SNA 2 & 8 the MLS is 27 cm, in SNA 3 & 7 the MLS is 25 cm. Since 2014 the minimum legal size for recreational catch of snapper in the Snapper 1 management area has been 30 cm.
Management processes
TAC review Snapper 2, July 2024.
TAC review Snapper 7, July 2024.
TAC review Snapper 8, July 2024.
TAC review Snapper 7, July 2022.
TAC review Snapper 8, July 2021.
TAC review Snapper 7, June 2020.
TAC review Snapper 1, July 2013
TAC review Snapper 8, 2005-06 (option4 website)
TAC review Snapper 2, 2002 (option4 website)
Reports
2021
Snapper trawl survey of Hauraki Gulf-Bay of Plenty 2019-20. FNZ. March 2021
Trawl surveys of the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty in 2019 & 2020 to estimate the abundance of juvenile snapper. Fisheries NZ. March 2021. NZSFC – The plots on pages 70 & 76 are useful. The recommencement of the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty trawl survey series may provide potential to monitor, with reasonable levels of precision, the relative abundance of year classes over 2 years, including recruited snapper. In the Hauraki Gulf the estimated snapper biomass was 20, 618 tonnes (CV 13.6%), whereas in the Bay of Plenty it was 2824 tonnes (CV 8.9%), representing increases of 139% and 87% since the last survey in each area respectively.
2020
Report. Web camera and ramp surveys of recreational effort. FNZ. July 2020
Web camera and boat ramp survey reporting on activity around the North Island and top of the South Is, from 2005 to 2019. This shows trends in fishing activity and catch rates for key species each year. This is used to monitor recreational fishing between the National Panel Surveys. Fisheries New Zealand. July 2020.
SNA 7 Plenary. FNZ. May 2020
Fisheries New Zealand Plenary of the latest data on snapper stocks in NZ waters. May 2020.
2019
Report. SNA 1 age composition of commercial catch 2017-18. FNZ. Sep 2019
Age composition of commercial snapper landings in Snapper 1, 2017-18. Fisheries NZ. September 2019. NZSFC – Catch at age distributions for the SNA 1 bottom longline fisheries in 2017-18 have remained broad since the previous sampling year in 2012-13, with good representation across almost all year classes up to 20 years, resulting in high estimates of mean age: East Northland (9.9 years), Hauraki Gulf (10 years), Bay of Plenty (8.7 years). East Northland remains the only stock with a high proportion of snapper 20 years or older.
Recreational harvest estimates 2017-18. FNZ. 2019
National Panel Survey results. Estimates of recreational catch in 2017-18. Data per region and fish stock. Finfish and shellfish harvest. Follow up survey to the 2011-12 National Panel Survey. Fisheries New Zealand. 2019.
2015
How juvenile snapper benefit from their habitat. Parsons et al. Mar 2015
Report. How do juvenile snapper benefit from their nursery habitat? Research article by Parsons et al. 24 March 2015.
2014
Recreational harvest estimates 2011-12. MPI. Nov 2014
Report. National Panel Survey of marine recreational fishers 2011-12: harvest estimates. MPI. November 2014.