Commercial Catch Tool
Introduction
Using the 'Commercial Catch' Tool
Commercial Catch Legend
Obtaining Catch Figures
Introduction
The 'Commercial Catch' tool is used to display a summary of the catch in kilograms of commercial species in New Zealand waters.
Commercial catch, as reported by commercial fishers, is validated and then stored in the Ministry of Fisheries Catch Effort database. The data is extracted from the Catch Effort database and displayed on NABIS using the relevant statistical area maps. Each statistical area is shaded by the amount of catch taken for the selected species, fishing method(s), month(s), and fishing year(s). Darker shades show where there was more catch and lighter shades show where there was less catch. There is a legend that states the catch range for each shade. To ensure the data is validated and complete, catch effort data is only available on NABIS up to the last 3 - 6 months.
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Using the 'Commercial Catch' Tool
Select 'Commercial Catch' from the 'Layer Generation tools' within the 'Select Layers' tab. A new page appears with drop down lists showing the following fields for you to choose from:
| Field Name |
Function |
| Species |
Catch data can only be displayed for one species at a time. Select a species from the drop down list. These are ordered by species code. |
| Method |
Data can be restricted further by fishing method. You can select one or more fishing methods from the list provided. Multiple selections can be made by holding down the 'Ctrl' key while you select each method you require to be included. |
| Year Type |
Data can be restricted by year. You can choose to display commercial catch by either fishing year or calendar year by selecting from the drop down list. Multiple selections can be made by holding down the 'Ctrl' key while you select each year you require to be included. |
| Year Range |
When Fishing Year is selected the data is presented by fishing year either: 1 October - 30 September or 1 April - 31 March depending on the species you choose. (Most species are reported against an October fishing year but there are a few that report against an April fishing year).
When Calendar Year is selected the year range changes to display full calendar years i.e. 2008.
See Year Type above for how to do multiple selections of years. |
| Month |
Data can be restricted by month in combination with year(s). Multiple selections can be made by holding down the 'Ctrl' key while you select each month you require to be included. |
NOTE: Letter selections for skipping through lists works differently depending on the browser being used. For Internet Explorer 6 typing "a", "a" will go to the second "a" in the list. For internet explorer 7 "a", "a" will go to a word beginning with "aa...".
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Requested Breaks
Requested Breaks lets you choose the number of breaks that the data will be displayed in. Breaks represent the approximate number of ranges the data will be broken down into. You can choose up to 10 requested breaks but it is suggested that 4 or 5 are optimum so you can easily view the differences in shading between ranges.
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How do I Interpret the Commercial Catch Legend?
Data Unreliable
Where 75% or more of the catch in one area is from a single record, the data is not displayed because it is considered to be too unreliable.
Data Withheld
Where the catch in the area is taken from fewer than 3 vessels or companies, the data is not displayed outside the Ministry of Fisheries because it is considered to be commercially sensitive.
No Catch Reported
Where there are no records of catch in the area for this time period, the data is displayed as 'No Catch Reported'.
Catch Range Boxes
The legend shows a number of catch ranges with each different catch range associated with a different colour on the map. The darker the colour, the greater the catch in that area. The number of catch range boxes in the legend depends on the number of 'Requested Breaks' you have selected.
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How do I get the actual catch figures?
'What's Here?' tool
Select the 'What's Here?' tool from the Layer tools in the legend box for the commercial catch map. Click on a statistical area of interest. The commercial catch information for the statistical area is displayed in a new page. The total estimated catch weight for the selected species, statistical area and time period is displayed in the 'est_catch_weight' row, it is in kilograms. For areas where the data is not displayed the 'est_catch_weight' row will indicate either "Data unreliable" or "Data Withheld" in the 'data_error' row.
See 'What's Here?' for more information about this tool.
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