Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in New Zealand
New Zealand: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 98,878 metric tons in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
98,878 metric tons
Change on year
down 9.4%
World rank
42nd
of 215 countries
All-time high
118,582 metric tons
in 2020
All-time low
1,000 metric tons
in 1961
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in New Zealand, 1960–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 98,878 metric tons for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.4% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in New Zealand peaked at 118,582 metric tons in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1,000 metric tons, in 1961.
That places New Zealand 42nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,800 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 1,000 metric tons | -64.3% |
| 1962 | 2,600 metric tons | +160.0% |
| 1963 | 1,900 metric tons | -26.9% |
| 1964 | 1,900 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2,400 metric tons | +26.3% |
| 1966 | 2,300 metric tons | -4.2% |
| 1967 | 1,800 metric tons | -21.7% |
| 1968 | 1,800 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1,300 metric tons | -27.8% |
| 1970 | 1,400 metric tons | +7.7% |
| 1971 | 1,900 metric tons | +35.7% |
| 1972 | 2,900 metric tons | +52.6% |
| 1973 | 2,700 metric tons | -6.9% |
| 1974 | 2,538 metric tons | -6.0% |
| 1975 | 2,071 metric tons | -18.4% |
| 1976 | 2,658 metric tons | +28.3% |
| 1977 | 1,403 metric tons | -47.2% |
| 1978 | 1,838 metric tons | +31.0% |
| 1979 | 2,783 metric tons | +51.4% |
| 1980 | 3,220 metric tons | +15.7% |
| 1981 | 2,998 metric tons | -6.9% |
| 1982 | 6,533 metric tons | +117.9% |
| 1983 | 9,720 metric tons | +48.8% |
| 1984 | 10,945 metric tons | +12.6% |
| 1985 | 11,835 metric tons | +8.1% |
| 1986 | 16,977 metric tons | +43.4% |
| 1987 | 19,366 metric tons | +14.1% |
| 1988 | 27,751 metric tons | +43.3% |
| 1989 | 26,985 metric tons | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 28,600 metric tons | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 48,700 metric tons | +70.3% |
| 1992 | 51,500 metric tons | +5.7% |
| 1993 | 52,501 metric tons | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 51,256 metric tons | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 70,391 metric tons | +37.3% |
| 1996 | 74,800 metric tons | +6.3% |
| 1997 | 76,850 metric tons | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 93,807 metric tons | +22.1% |
| 1999 | 91,650 metric tons | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 85,640 metric tons | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 76,024 metric tons | -11.2% |
| 2002 | 86,583 metric tons | +13.9% |
| 2003 | 84,641 metric tons | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 92,220 metric tons | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 105,302 metric tons | +14.2% |
| 2006 | 107,524 metric tons | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 111,908 metric tons | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 112,358 metric tons | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 104,958 metric tons | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 110,592 metric tons | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 117,266 metric tons | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 100,161 metric tons | -14.6% |
| 2013 | 97,123 metric tons | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 109,874 metric tons | +13.1% |
| 2015 | 91,275 metric tons | -16.9% |
| 2016 | 109,016 metric tons | +19.4% |
| 2017 | 116,530 metric tons | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 104,549 metric tons | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 114,582 metric tons | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 118,582 metric tons | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 116,839 metric tons | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 106,152 metric tons | -9.1% |
| 2023 | 109,154 metric tons | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 98,878 metric tons | -9.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,980 metric tons | 1,000 metric tons | 2,800 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,219 metric tons | 1,400 metric tons | 2,900 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,633 metric tons | 2,998 metric tons | 27,751 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 64,006 metric tons | 28,600 metric tons | 93,807 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 96,716 metric tons | 76,024 metric tons | 112,358 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 107,097 metric tons | 91,275 metric tons | 117,266 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 109,921 metric tons | 98,878 metric tons | 118,582 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -10.07 % change on previous year (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,976 current US$ per person (2023)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.275 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.16 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.0% (2023)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in New Zealand?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in New Zealand was 98,878 metric tons in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 118,582 metric tons in 2020.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,000 metric tons in 1961.
- How does New Zealand rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- New Zealand ranks 42nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Aquaculture means raising fish and other seafood — including molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants — in farms. Capture fishery production is how much wild fish is caught, whether for commercial, industrial, recreational, or subsistence use.