Database documentation
The Ministry for Primary Industries has a collection of approximately 35 distinct databases that
store a wide variety of fisheries information collected during or for fisheries research projects.
These databases are currently being managed under contract by NIWA.
Every database is required to have associated documentation. This documentation must contain the
following at a minimum:
sources of the data, database description including an Entity Relational Diagram (ERD), table
listings, and business rules;
a description of the purpose of the database and a brief summary of the contents of the database
(e.g. dates of first data, major species);
documentation of the complete validation criteria for data within the database. This includes
criteria/rules within the database itself (e.g. triggers, stored procedures, referential
constraints, and other rules/definitions) and any pre-loading rules against which the data is tested
(e.g. via third party software); and
appendices or tables that (where appropriate) contain a summary of the contents of small reference
tables within the database.
| Name | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustic (acoustic) | The acoustic database stores recorded oceanographic sound data that has been collected during acoustic biomass surveys using an echosounder either mounted on a vessel, towed by a vessel, or in a fixed location. | Acoustic Database Documentation (2020) |
| Aerial Sightings (aer_sight) | The aer_sight database contains records of search effort and sightings of pelagic schooling species (mainly skipjack tuna, kahawai, blue mackerel, jack mackerel, and trevally) from pilots spotting fish schools for purse-seine vessels around New Zealand. | Aerial Sightings Database Documentation (2015) Sample of data (Excel) |
| Specimen Ageing (age) | The age database contains a catalogue of ageing material and information on the age of mostly fish derived from this material, which is primarily otoliths, and in some instances scales, vertebrae, teeth, spines, and statoliths. The ageing material has been acquired from a variety of sources within New Zealand and covers over 50 species of fish. | Ageing Database Documentation (2017) |
| Beach Sampling (beach) | The beach database contains data derived from beach surveys of selected shellfish species. Data includes information on sampling details, catch number (by species), and other information such as length frequency samples. | Beach Sampling Database Documentation (2015) Sample of data (excel) |
| Marine Biodiversity and Biosecurity (biods) | The biods database contains data from marine biodiversity and biosecurity surveys. It was developed in response to the Biodiversity Strategy (2000), with the aim of increasing knowledge of marine biodiversity and knowledge of invasive marine species, to assist in maintaining New Zealand's biosecurity. The database includes information on the presence/absence and spatial distribution of species. | Biodiversity and Biosecurity Database Documentation (2006) |
| Centralised Observer Database (cod) | The cod database contains data collected by Ministry for Primary Industries Observers on commercial fishing vessels. cod contains the catch and effort information for observed vessels, length frequency, biological and ageing materials data for commercial species as recorded by the observers, as well as relevant trip and tow information. Cod replaces the earlier observer databases obs, obs_lfs and l_line . | Centralised Observer Database Documentation (2024) |
| Fisheries Oceanography (ctd) | The ctd database contains conductivity, temperature, and depth readings taken from research trawl surveys from 1982. | Fisheries Oceanography Database Documentation (2016) |
| Diver Sampling (dive) | The dive database contains data collected from a variety of research dive surveys conducted using various survey methods (eg. random dive, fish aggregation, and transect dive surveys), for a number of species (eg. paua, rock lobster, kina, blue cod). | Diver Sampling Database Documentation (2015) Sample of data (excel) |
| Deepwater Catch (dw_cdb) | The dw_cdb database contains partially groomed commercial catch and effort data from deepwater fisheries (orange roughy and oreo) used for stock assessments. | Deepwater Catch Database Documentation (2015) |
| Fish Catch Effort (fish_ce) | The fish_ce database contains catch effort data from a variety of species that has been groomed as part of the stock assessment process. | Fish Catch Effort Database Documentation (2015) |
| Fish Communities (fish_comm) | The fish_comm database contains data on fish communities sourced from the trawl and observer databases. | Fish Community Database Documentation (2015) |
| Genetics (genetics) | The genetics database is a systematic collection of genetics data. This data is not contained in a Database Management System, but rather as a compiled collection of computer files. | Genetics Database Documentation (2001) |
| Heavy Metal Sampling (hmetal) | The hmetal database contains information on the measured levels of mercury and other heavy metals sampled from marine species in New Zealand between 1972 and 1989. The data has been gained from a variety of sources, therefore access to this database may be restricted. | Heavy Metal Sampling Database Documentation (2015) |
| Snapper Iki Sampling (iki) | The iki database contains information collected by research scientists on commercial longline vessels targeting snapper for the Japanese market from December 1997 to September 1998. Additional data from trawlers, and Danish seiners targeting snapper has since been added. | Snapper Iki Sampling Database Documentation (2015) |
| Kina Catch Sampling (kina) | The kina database contains information collected during a commercial exploratory kina diving survey conducted in Dusky Sound in 1993 and 1994. | Kina Catch Sampling Database Documentation (2016) Sample of data (excel) |
| Longline Sampling (l_line) | The l_line database contains comprehensive information collected by Scientific Observers placed on surface longline vessels (both foreign and domestic) in the New Zealand tuna fishery (comparable data from bottom longliners is stored in obs_lfs). Data includes information on gear types, catch and effort, and incidental seabird and marine mammal bycatch. This database has been replaced by the cod database in 2009. | Longline Sampling Database Documentation (2001) |
| Market and Shed Sampling (market) | The market database contains information from a representative sample for a variety of fish species. Biological data is collected by researchers after the catch has been unloaded in a fish processing facility or shed, prior to the catch being processed for market. | Market Sampling Database Documentation (2020) |
| Marlin Metadata (marlin) | The marlin database houses the metadata about Ministry for Primary Industries fisheries databases and about data produced from MFish research projects. Metadata provides information about the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data. Marlin includes information on datatypes, data volume, and database location. | Marlin Database Documentation (2017) |
| Fisheries Statistics Unit Catch Effort (new_fsu) | The new_fsu database contains commercial catch-effort data collected and managed by the Fisheries Statistics Unit (FSU) prior to the establishment of the QMS. The FSU was disbanded in November 1988, therefore the 1988 and 1989 datasets are generally incomplete. Statistics back to 1972 were collected for some fisheries, which are included in this database. Fisheries statistics collected prior to 1983 are referred to as ‘pre-FSU’ in the database documentation. | Fisheries Statistics Unit Database Documentation (2016) |
| Non-fish bycatch | The non-fish bycatch database contains data on the incidental catch of protected species such as marine mammals and birds, reported by commercial fishers, from December 1996 to October 2008. | Non-fish Bycatch Database Documentation (2015) |
| Scientific Observer (obs) | The obs database contains comprehensive catch effort data recorded by MFish Scientific Observers placed on trawl vessels in New Zealand fisheries, including conversion factor data. This database has been replaced by the cod database in 2008. | Scientific Observer Database Documentation (2005) Sample of data (excel) |
| Observer Length Frequency (obs_lfs) | The obs_lfs database contains comprehensive biological (eg. length frequency, weight, gonad stage) and non-fish bycatch information collected by Scientific Observers from trawl and bottom longline vessels (additional to observer catch effort information). This database also incorporates observer-collected data from the squid fishery, which was housed in the squid database until 2001. This database has been replaced by the cod database in 2008. | Observer Length Frequency Database Documentation (2008) |
| Foveaux Strait Oyster (oyster) | The oyster database contains information collected from research surveys conducted on the oyster fishery in Foveaux Strait (OYU5), in response to an outbreak of the Bonamia sp. parasite. | Foveaux Strait Oyster Database Documentation (2019) Sample of data (excel) |
| Marine Larvae and Plankton Research (plankton) | The plankton database contains information on snapper and orange roughy larvae and information on plankton density collected during research trawl surveys. | Plankton Research Database Documentation (2000) |
| Purse Seine Catch Effort (pseine) | The pseine database contains a limited time series of information derived from commercial catch effort returns (CELRs) in the New Zealand purse seine fishery, mainly for kahawai. | Purse Seine Catch Effort Database Documentation (2003) |
| Research Database (rdb) | The rdb database contains all MFish reference codes that are used in the collection and checking of fisheries related data. Reference codes include, for example, species codes, area codes, method codes and biological codes. | Research (reference data) Database Documentation (2016) |
| Recreational Fishing (rec_data) | The rec_data database contains information collected from a series of ad-hoc surveys of recreational marine fishers including diary surveys, boat-ramp surveys, and shellfish harvest surveys. | Recreational Fishing Database Documentation (2020) |
| Recruitment (recruit) | The recruit database currently contains information collected from a 1996-1997 kahawai juvenile recruitment survey condudcted using beach seines. The database has the capacity to hold similar information for other species and gear types and may have additional data added in the future. | Recruit Database Documentation (2001) |
| Regional Catch Effort (regional_ce) | The regional_ce database contains catch and effort information from New Zealand fishing vessels operating outside the EEZ: for example, purse seine vessels in the South Pacfic and longline vessels in CCAMLR waters. | Regional Catch Effort Database Documentation (2019) |
| Rock Lobster Catch Sampling & Logbook Programme: (rlcs schema a and b) | The rlcs_a database contains catch sampling information on New Zealand rock lobster species (red and packhorse) collected as part of research projects. The rlcs_b database contains logbook information on New Zealand rock lobster species (red and packhorse) collected by commercial fishers as part of a programme coordinated by the Rock Lobster Industry Council (RLIC). The database is updated annually. | Rock Lobster Catch Sampling Database Documentation (2016) Rock Lobster Logbook Sampling Database Documentation (2002) |
| Rock Lobster Phyllosoma and Puerulus (rocklob) | The rocklob database contains information on juvenile stage (phyllosoma and puerulus) New Zealand rocklobster species (red and packhorse) collected by research scientists from various surveys. | Rock Lobster Phyllosoma & Puerulus Database Documentation (2015) |
| Scallop Research Survey (scallop) | The scallop database contains information collected from dredge research surveys conducted in various areas around New Zealand (Tasman Bay, Northland, Coromandel). | Scallop Research Survey Database Documentation (2020) Sample of data (excel) |
| Seamount 2023 | The seamount database contains an updated and enhanced database of physical characteristics of seamounts within New Zealand, replacing the 2006 version of the database. Furthermore, this database contains several related datasets, including research trawl station & catch data as well as specimen records from the NIWA invertebrate collection. This facilitates extracts of seamount data in conjunction with a wide range of data sources and disparate contexts. | Seamount Database Documentation (2023) |
| Seamount Survey (seamount) [Deprecated] | This database has been deprecated and replaced by the Seamount 2023 database and documentation. Original description follows: The seamount database presents a synopsis of the physical characteristics of seamounts within the “New Zealand region” (taken here as the area bounded by 24°S, 167°W, 57°S, and 157°E), which extends an earlier characterisation (Wright 1999). | Seamount Survey Database Documentation (2006) |
| Shellfish Disease Survey (shellfish) | The shellfish database contains data from disease surveillance surveys of shellfish in various areas around New Zealand. | Shellfish Disease Surveillance Database Documentation (2020) |
| Arrow Squid Fishery Catch Effort (squ_ce) | The squ_ce database contains a discrete time series (1989-1994) copy of commercial catch effort data (all methods) from the New Zealand arrow squid fishery. | Arrow Squid Fishery Catch Effort Database Documentation (2001) |
| Tag Survey (tag) | The tag database contains information from fisheries species that have been tagged and recaptured in New Zealand waters, for all tag and release programmes. At present there is information on over 24 species. | Tag Database Documentation (2015) |
| Trawl Survey (trawl) | The trawl database contains comprehensive information from various inshore and deepwater research trawl surveys conducted in New Zealand waters. | Trawl Survey Database Documentation (2020) Sample of data (excel) |
| Tuna (tuna) | The tuna database contains catch effort information derived from commercial returns and covers New Zealand, Australian, and Japanese tuna fisheries. | Tuna Database Documentation (2016) Sample of data (excel) |
| Vessel (vessel) | The vessel database contains a groomed version of registration data for vessels that have fished in New Zealand waters. | Vessel Database Documentation (2016) |