Seafood
Workforce Demographics
Workforce dataset (size and demographics) 
Source: Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure
Ethnicity
The Seafood workforce is more ethnically diverse than the workforce across all other Muka Tangata industries and the average across all industries (national benchmark). More than one quarter of the people working in the Seafood industry group identify as Māori, and for those aged 15-24, it's over one third. In addition, there are more Pacific peoples and Asian workers in Seafood compared to the average composition across the Muka Tangata industries.
Māori make up a larger part of the Fishing, Aquaculture and Processing industries than the Fish and Seafood Wholesaling industry. A relatively high percentage of the Seafood Processing workforce identify as Asian and as Pacific peoples, while relatively few people in the Fishing and Aquaculture industries identify as Pacific peoples.
Age
The age profile of workers in the Seafood industries is similar to the average age profile of workers across all industries (national benchmark) and is slightly younger than workers across Muka Tangata industries. However, the data indicates a gradual aging trend within the Seafood industries over time.
There are differences for specific industries. Offshore and Longline and Rack Aquaculture, and Rock Lobster and Crab potting have the oldest age profile. The Fish and Seafood wholesaling workforce stands out with a notable concentration of workers aged 45-54, coupled with a scarcity of young workers, suggesting the potential for an aging workforce.
Regional Distribution
The Fish and Seafood Wholesaling industry is concentrated in Canterbury, Auckland, and Otago.
Southland and Wellington are significant for Rock Lobster and Crab Potting, while Canterbury and Southland are central to other fishing activities.
Canterbury is the primary location for Onshore Aquaculture, with Offshore Caged Aquaculture workers exclusively found there. Offshore and Longline and Rack Aquaculture workers are spread across Bay of Plenty, Marlborough, and Waikato.
Line Fishing is nationwide but concentrated in Northland. Nelson is a key hub for Fish Trawling, Seining, and Netting.
Gender
In 2021 around one third of individuals working in Seafood industries were female, and this remained constant between 2015 and 2021. This falls below the national average (national benchmark) of 47% but aligns closely with the proportion of female workers across Muka Tangata industries (36%).
The percentage of female workers varies substantially for each specific industry but is highest in the Onshore Aquaculture and Seafood Processing industries.