Source: Greenpeace
The New Zealand Government has announced temporary seamount closures in the world’s largest orange roughy fishery, following news that deep sea fish numbers are plummeting. The closures, set for six weeks, will mean that several seamounts will be off limits to bottom trawling. But environmentalists say the closures don’t go far enough.
Greenpeace says while it’s pleased to see the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries finally recognise seamount protection as vital, they add that permanent protection of these ecosystems is what’s required to protect fish populations and vulnerable coral habitats.
“It’s great that the penny has finally dropped,” says Greenpeace ocean campaigner, Ellie Hooper
“Seamounts are vital habitats that require protection, whether you’re looking at fish numbers or the important coral species that live there. Yet every year New Zealand bottom trawlers smash seamounts in their bid to catch breeding orange roughy. It is no surprise that after decades of bulldozing coral and spooking spawning fish, we are seeing a drastic decline in these fish numbers.
“But temporary closures are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. What’s needed is proactive, precautionary, preventive action – closing all seamounts to bottom trawling – to ensure long term health of the ocean and everything in it.”
A 2025 scientific stock assessment revealed populations in the Chatham Rise, the world’s largest orange roughy fishery (ORH 3B) were plummeting. Models showed orange roughy numbers could be as low as 8-18% of their original population size.
Karli Thomas, from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, says it’s well established that protecting seamounts and similar features from bottom trawling is vital for ensuring healthy oceans and abundant fisheries.
“The importance of seamounts is acknowledged in this decision, but the closures announced today only give an annual six week reprieve from trawling. This leaves deep-sea coral reefs at risk from destructive bottom trawling for the other 46 weeks of every year.
“Imagine how this fishery, which is on the verge of collapse, and the coral habitats of the deep could rebuild if seamounts were permanently closed to trawlers. Biodiversity could return, spawning fish be protected, and their increased numbers spillover into the surrounding area, having a long term benefit for all.”
Orange roughy are a slow growing species that reach breeding maturity late, making them especially vulnerable to overfishing. They were fished to collapse in the ‘90s, and rebuilding this Chatham Rise population from where it stands today is expected to take decades.
Barry Weeber for ECO says it’s time to learn from the lessons of the past and get serious about permanently protecting all orange roughy spawning areas including on seamounts and features.
“We have already lost important orange roughy spawning areas on the Chatham Rise, East Coast of the North Island, and on the edge of the Challenger plateau.”Internationally, it’s recommended that vulnerable marine ecosystems like seamounts be closed to bottom trawling because of their fragility, complexity and slow-growing nature.
Over 100,000 New Zealanders have signed petitions calling for a ban on bottom trawling on seamounts in domestic waters and the high seas of the South Pacific – where New Zealand is the last country to conduct the practice.