Counts of seabirds around commercial fishing vessels within New Zealand waters, 2007–08 to 2018–19

There are over 80 species of seabird breeding in New Zealand waters, but for many species their at-sea distribution remains largely unknown. This report presents a summary of seabird data in the New Zealand region, based on seabird counts made by fisheries observers on-board commercial fishing vessels, recorded on paper forms between January 2008, and November 2018 and on electronic Nomad devices between January 2009 and September 2019. Counts recorded on paper forms followed different protocols and were treated separately.

During the 11-year period, there were 45 325 observations of seabirds around fishing vessels in New Zealand waters recorded on paper forms, from 1 493 fishing trips and 36 781 fishing events, resulting in 221 746 seabird counts. Records from electronic Nomad devices consisted of 43 609 observations, and 114 744 counts, during 5 075 fishing trips. The seabird counts recorded on paper forms were made in trawl, bo?om-longline, surface-longline, set-net, purse-seine, and pot fisheries, with the majority of observations in trawl fisheries. The spatial distribution of seabird counts observations corresponded with fishing effort, with observations in trawl fisheries widely distributed throughout continental shelf waters in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Seabird count observations on bo?om-longline vessels were concentrated on Chatham Rise and in Hauraki Gulf, and observations on surface-longline vessels were made in northeast and southwest New Zealand. For set-net, purse-seine, and pot fisheries, seabird count observations were in inshore waters, although the purse-seine and pot fisheries were represented by relatively few observations, which were mostly restricted to northern North Island waters. Records on Nomad devices were in trawl, set-net, bo?om-longline, and pot fisheries, almost exclusively in inshore waters.