Our Key Species
Caught in the pristine waters of New Zealand’s sub-antarctic island fishing grounds, the deep pure clean waters of the Southern Ocean provides an abundance of safe, clean sustainable seafood year after year to a small domestic New Zealand fishing industry.
Hake
Merluccius australis
Also known as: Tiikati, Chilean hake, Patagonian hake, Southern hake
New Zealand hake is harvested mainly by trawl from the South Island, off the east and west coasts and in sub-Antarctic waters. Hake are widely distributed throughout the middle depths of New Zealand waters. Adults are mainly found between 250 and 800 m, while juvenile are found in inshore regions shallower than 250 m. Hake start breeding around 6 – 10 years and live to roughly 25 years.
M. australis look similar to other hake but are distinct and only found in New Zealand and Patagonia.
Ling
Genypterus blacodes
Also known as: Hokarari, Kingklip, Pink Ling
Ling is caught between 200-700 metres around the Southern North Island and the South Island of New Zealand. Ling is caught all year round by longline and trawl and live to a maximum age of about 30 years.
White Warehou
Merluccius australis
White Warehou is uniformly greyish white, has no apparent scales or pits, no pectoral blotch, and has a relatively larger eye. The flesh is white and firm.
Found in deeper water than the other Warehou species and is most common south east of New Zealand and on the Campbell Plateau between depths of 400 and 600 metres.
Silver Warehou
Seriolella punctata
Silver warehou are common around the South Island and on the Chatham Rise in depths of 200–800 m. The majority of the commercial catch is taken from the Chatham Rise, Canterbury Bight, southeast of Stewart Island, and the west coast of the South Island.
They are blue-grey above and silver-white below with a dark head. There is a dark blotch above the pectoral fin and blackish spots on the mid belly. Silver Warehou are more slender in shape than Blue or White Warehou. The flesh is firm and white.
Southern Blue Whiting (Surimi)
Micromesistius australis
Southern blue whiting are harvested almost entirely by mid-water and semi-pelagic trawl and are generally found in sub-Antarctic waters. They are mostly harvested at depths of 250 m to 600 m, with the main fishing grounds to the south of New Zealand.
Southern blue whiting are grey with a blue tinge, darker on the dorsal ridge, and with many small black spots shading to silver-white on the belly. The flesh is white and delicate.
New Zealand Arrow Squid
Nototodarus sloanii, Nototodarus gouldi
Also known as: Wheketere, Shortfinned Squid, Calamari, Squid, Gould’s Squid
The New Zealand arrow squid fishery is based on two related species (Nototodarus gouldi and N. sloanii). Arrow squid have a short lifespan and rapid growth. They generally live for one year, spawn once and then die.
Hoki
Macruronus novaezelandiae
Hoki is one of New Zealand’s most commercially important deepwater fisheries. They are widely distributed throughout New Zealand waters, from depths of 10 m to over 900m, with greatest abundance between 200 and 600 m.
The premium fillet of Hoki is highly regarded for its versatility and is often used for further processing into a diverse range of customer products. Hoki is in high demand around the world and is available in a variety of forms.
Food Safety
Once caught, seafood is quickly frozen using plate freezers to freeze the fish into blocks which are then immediately packaged into cartons for storage in the freezer hold.
We operate under the New Zealand food safety regime. The vessel is subject to regular government food safety inspections and on-board monitoring and our own food risk management program (RMP) – you can be confident in the production from Aurora Fisheries.