Between 1986 and 2004, hoki was the mainstay of New Zealand’s fishing industry. The fish are found in offshore waters at depths of 200−600 metres. Most commercial trawling for hoki takes place off the West Coast of the South Island, in Cook Strait, and over the Chatham Rise (between the east coast of the South Island and the Chatham Islands). Since 1995 there has been below-average survival of young fish that contribute to the hoki fishery. The total allowable commercial catch was reduced from 180,000 to 100,000 tonnes in 2004–5, in the hope that the hoki population would build up again.