Pj. Starr et M. Vignaux, COMPARISON OF DATA FROM VOLUNTARY LOGBOOK AND RESEARCH CATCH-SAMPLINGPROGRAMS IN THE NEW-ZEALAND LOBSTER FISHERY, Marine and freshwater research, 48(8), 1997, pp. 1075-1080
Since 1993, the New Zealand Fishing Industry Board has run an extensiv
e voluntary programme to collect biological information from rock lobs
ter (Jasus edwardsii) pot fisheries using logbooks maintained by comme
rcial fishers. The New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries has run since 198
9 an intensive research sampling programme of the rock lobster commerc
ial fishery which measures nearly every lobster caught in a selected t
rip. A comparison of these two programmes was made for the southern So
uth Island fishery over a period from August 1993 to January 1996. Len
gth frequency distributions stratified by month and statistical area s
howed similar distributions from both sampling programmes in most stra
ta, with a tendency for higher frequency modes to be estimated by the
voluntary logbook data and larger frequency modes estimated by the res
earch sampling data. These differences were slight except for five ins
tances (of 40 strata compared) where the research sampling programme e
stimated flat frequency distributions which were not typical of the di
stributions estimated in other strata. Catch per potlift from the volu
ntary logbook programme and the compulsory catch per effort landing re
turns were similar for the same fishers. This indicated that the volun
tary fishers were successful in designating 'representative' sampling
units for their programme.