The Royal Forest & Bird Society and the Green Party say New Zealand's fishing industry is not as healthy as described in an international report on global fisheries.
A scientific research paper titled "Rebuilding Global Fisheries" has found New Zealand marine areas to be some of the healthiest in the world.
The paper evaluated 31 marine areas in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
The Fisheries Minister, Phil Heatley, has welcomed the research but Forest & Bird questions the findings, citing poorly managed stocks of orange roughy and snapper.
The society says the research did not consider the impacts of what it calls "destructive" fishing methods, or the bycatch of seabirds and marine mammals.
The Green Party also says New Zealand's fishing industry less healthy than claimed by the Government.
The party's co-leader, Metiria Turei, says while the research is very robust and useful, New Zealand shouldn't be proud of the current state of its fisheries.
"It describes the state of the global fish stock as terrible, nd assesses various countries against each other in terms of their regimes for managing fish stocks.
"Being slightly better than appalling is not a state of pride -
it's a wake up call to take more action to ensure our fisheries are sustainable."
Ms Turei says the Government needs to review current fishery guidelines to protect fish stocks for future use.
