Fishing companies are having a bumper West Coast hoki season, and the signs are so good that an increase in quota should be considered next year, industry leaders say.
The fish are being caught in large numbers, good sizes and great condition, with onshore and offshore fish factories in full production.
Talley’s Nelson division chief executive Tony Hazlett said the season was going “exceptionally well.”
The fish were schooling in large concentrations, and catch rates were high. “Good sizing, good roe, good everything.”
Hazlett said his view was that the Government could have lifted the 130,000-metric ton quota for the coming fishing year, beginning on 1 October, but a precautionary approach was being taken. He was anticipating a rise of 10,000 metric tons in October 2013, though “the science would say we could have another 20,000 to 30,000 metric tons.”
