Hoki constitutes New Zealand's largest commercial fishery. Distributed throughout the southern and subantarctic regions of New Zealand's vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) its Total Allowable Catch (TAC) averages 200,000 tonnes annually. A deepwater species Hoki is trawled at depths ranging from 600 - 2500 feet. The June - September high season coincides with the Southern Hemisphere winter. Harvesting conforms to the New Zealand seafood industry standards. Short trawls and rapid freezing or icing ensures premium quality. In spite of the size of the resource the fishery is comparatively new and its economic potential is yet to be fully realised. Hoki is, however, a highly malleable species and has already formed the basis of several new added value and surimi-related product developments.

Processing

New Zealand hoki is processed either at sea or inshore based plants utilising either iced whole fish or frozen-at-sea headed and gutted (H&G) product. Custom designed machinery ensures that the headed, gutted and skinless product conforms to uniform standards. Filleting is generally done by hand to achieve maximum recovery and maintain quality standards. Both shore based plants and processing vessels are government licensed and standards monitored by New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF).