MRAG Asia Pacific was commissioned by MPI to undertake an analysis of the economic conditions in the New Zealand squid jigging sector, and in particular investigate conditions leading to low levels of effort. As part of the analysis, the project team reviewed the global state of squid fisheries, documented the history, and characterised the current state of, the New Zealand squid fishery, and assessed the economic viability of the fishery under current regulatory and market conditions. A range of scenarios were assessed to test the sensitivity of results to alternative policy, operational and economic settings (similar to those likely to be found in other major squid jig fisheries globally).