Abstract
New Zealand ("NZ") is an island nation with an enormous Exclusive Economic Zone ("EEZ"). How we manage the resources within our marine environment is of global concern. This dissertation will analyse, from an environmental perspective, the adequacy of the "maximum sustainable yield" ("MSY") concept used in NZ's fisheries legislation, the Fisheries Act 19961 ("the Act"). The MSY is the key consideration when setting the total allowable catch ("TAC"), which is the key sustainability measure in managing NZ's ocean-fisheries, under the Quota Management System ("QMS").