With exports worth around $1.7 billion, fishing is one of this country's biggest earners, employing hundreds of people.
But as well as having an abundance of fish, New Zealand's waters are also home to some of the biggest concentrations of seabirds in the world, as well as some of the rarest.
New Zealand can also lay claim to the world's rarest dolphin, the Maui dolphin.
To arrest the decline of the species, environmentalists say fishing practices need to change.
Our fisheries reporter, Conan Young, looks at some of the big decisions the government is due to make in this area in 2020.
