What is fish discards in New Zealand?

Fish discards in New Zealand was 58,655 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest fish discards recorded in New Zealand?

The highest recorded value was 84,741 in 1988.

What is the lowest fish discards recorded in New Zealand?

The lowest recorded value was 3,203 in 1950.

How does New Zealand rank for fish discards?

New Zealand ranks 24th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.

Is fish discards rising or falling in New Zealand?

Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this New Zealand data come from?

The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish discards. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Fish discards in New Zealand

Name: Fish discards in New Zealand
Creator: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

New Zealand: Fish discards was 58,655 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

58,655

Change on year

down 12.7%

World rank

24th

of 161 countries

All-time high

84,741

in 1988

All-time low

3,203

in 1950

Years of data

1950–2018

Fish discards in New Zealand, 1950–2018

Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 58,655 for fish discards in 2018.

That represents a change of down 12.7% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fish discards in New Zealand peaked at 84,741 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 3,203, in 1950.

New Zealand ranks 24th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	4,586	3,203	6,301	10
1960s	9,091	7,041	12,017	10
1970s	25,331	12,617	47,397	10
1980s	66,839	48,227	84,741	10
1990s	68,785	51,483	80,089	10
2000s	55,368	39,895	67,038	10
2010s	51,603	40,961	67,179	9

Countries ranked near New Zealand

21 Senegal 72,692 compare
22 Netherlands 71,944 compare
23 Canada 67,972 compare
25 Bangladesh 55,883 compare
26 Hong Kong 54,050 compare
27 Angola 48,865 compare

See the full ranking of 161 places →

More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 10.28 billion current US$ (2023)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.0% (2023)
Rural population 852,066 (2025)
Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
Rural population 16.0% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials exports 9.3% (2025)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.0% (2023)
Share of GDP from agriculture 4.0% (2023)
Land under cereal production 121,170 hectares (2024)

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is fish discards in New Zealand?: Fish discards in New Zealand was 58,655 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fish discards recorded in New Zealand?: The highest recorded value was 84,741 in 1988.
What is the lowest fish discards recorded in New Zealand?: The lowest recorded value was 3,203 in 1950.
How does New Zealand rank for fish discards?: New Zealand ranks 24th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
Is fish discards rising or falling in New Zealand?: Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?: The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish discards. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Fish discards
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 161 places, 9,371 data points, 1950–2018
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities. This represents bycatch (fish caught unintentionally) that is not brought ashore for use.