• Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Seafood
  • Support Us
  • Join Us
Best Fish Guide Best Fish Guide Best Fish Guide Best Fish Guide
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Seafood
  • Support Us
  • Join Us

Packhorse lobster

Scientific name:

 Sagmariasus verreauxi       

Other names:

 koura, papatia, pawharu (Maori), packhorse crayfish, crayfish, green rock lobster, Eastern rock lobster (Australia / US)

Ranking

Best or alternative choice

Packhorse lobster is an ok seafood choice, but there are some concerns. A better alternative would be rock lobster (crayfish) that comes from the East Coast, from Gisborne south to Kaikoura.

Description

Found in the north and east of the North Island, packhorse rock lobster live around rocky reefs at depths of 5 to 275m. They are larger and have a slightly greener colour than rock lobster (crayfish) and are mainly caught in the far north waters of New Zealand.

Ecological concerns

Packhorse lobster is caught using pots. There are concerns over the lack of basic biological data about the species, the absence of any stock assessment or directed research on this species. Also of concern is the higher catch since 2007, the apparent decline of numbers within diving depths, and the absence of a management plan. Potting is good fishing method, but if placed on sensitive marine habitats it could have benthic impacts.

Certification

Not certified under any scheme.

Economic value

The market for packhorse lobster includes Japan and China.

Asssessment output

Regional and or fishing method differences

No regional or fishing method difference.

Status of seafood stocks - sustainability of catches

Score:  D
Population size:  Unknown
Annual catch limit:  Limit set at 40.3 tonnes since 2002-03
Recorded catch:  Reported landings have been over 37.5 tonnes in 2014-15.
Stock trends:  Unknown, but abundance has declined at diving depths.
MSY Status:  Unknown
The Ministry of Primary Industries assessment plenary report includes:  “No estimates of current or reference biomass are available.” “The status of this stock is unknown.” (MPI 2015, p394).

Biological characteristics - risk of overfishing and ability to recover

Score:  D
Distribution:  Found mainly in the north of the North Island.
Maximum age (years):  Thought to be long-lived – over 30 years
Age at sexual maturity:  About 8 years
Growth rate:  Low to moderate
Reproductive output:  Unknown
Age exploited:  About 4+ years
Ability to recover:  Low to moderate?

Fishing method impacts including non-threatened species bycatch & habitat damage

Score:  B
Fishing method(s):  Cray pots (often large, heavy and baited), which are dropped down to the seafloor to depths of 200m.
Habitat damage:  Minimal, but when carried out over sensitive habitats, may damage seafloor species such as soft corals.
Habitat of particular significance:  Hasn’t been defined in New Zealand.
Bycatch:  Minimal, but some octopus may be caught.
Ecological effects:  Packhorse lobster are important generalist predators, often referred to as a keystone species. They eat of a range of species including kina, so their depletion from an area may cause wider ecological impacts.

Protected species or threatened species bycatch

Score:  A
Bycatch:  Minimal but there are reports of entanglements of marine mammals with pot lines around New Zealand.

Unit of seafood stock arrangement

Score:  B
Management component:  Single species, with likely national stock genetically different from East Coast Australia stock, but there are no management boundaries to spread catch effort and stop potential for local overfishing. Loss of fish at diving depths indicates at least the potential for serial depletion.

Effectiveness of management, monitoring, & research

Score:  E
Quota Management Species:  Yes, since 1990
Catch limits:  Yes
Management plan:  No shellfish or inshore management plan approved.
Stock assessment:  No quantitative assessment undertaken or proposed.
Research:  No proposed or recently undertaken research.
Observer coverage:  Unobserved

Fisheries map

Taken from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Plenary report for fisheries management.

References

Paste here.

Contact Us

Send us an email and we'll get back to you ASAP.

Send Message

Proudly supported by...