There are four possible sources of Catch Effort data.
1. The Catch Effort front end (available to MFish staff only). This will only provide you with access to Catch Effort information one form at a time. You can see both the data from a form, and a scanned image of the form. See the contact list for details of how to get access.
Much of the information provided on Catch Effort returns is considered by fishers to be commercially sensitive. The Ministry has a set of Guidelines for releasing information (PDF format) that Ministry staff should ensure they are familiar with. For example - the release of Catch Effort information that contains fisher, company or vessel names, or accurate fishing locations, should be authorised by the Research Data Manager. Scientists and researchers who have been given access to such information require authorisation from the Research Data Manager before they can publish it. If in doubt, ask !
Be aware that there are many issues that affect the way that you should interpret Catch Effort data. A list of some of these is provided in the Information Interpretation System spreadsheet.