Shellfish biotoxin alert for Kawhia
New Zealand Food Safety issued an advisory to the public urging them to not collect or consume shellfish gathered from the Kawhia region due to the presence of paralytic shellfish toxins.
“Routine tests on mussels from Kawhia wharf have shown levels of paralytic shellfish toxins over the safe limit,” said New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle. “The warning extends from Papanui Point, just south of Raglan, to Tirua Point, south of Marokopa. The warning also includes Kawhia and Aotea harbours.
“Affected shellfish include bivalve shellfish such as mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, and scallops, as well as pūpū (cat’s eyes), Cook’s turban and kina (sea urchin).”
Cooking the shellfish does not remove the toxin. Symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning usually appear within 10 minutes to three hours of eating and may include numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, hands, and feet; difficulty swallowing or breathing; dizziness and headache; nausea and vomiting; diarrhoea; paralysis and respiratory failure and, in severe cases, death.
“We are monitoring an Alexandrium pacificum bloom off this region that has been around for the past month. This type of algae produces a dangerous toxin and when shellfish filter-feed, these toxins can accumulate in their gut and flesh. Generally, the more algae there are in the water, the more toxic the shellfish get.” after pleading guilty to three charges under the Fisheries Act and Fisheries (Geospatial Position Reporting) Regulations 2017.
In April 2023, Tony Peter Phillipson left Port Tarakohe in Golden Bay aboard the vessel Jeanette with one crew member, sailing towards Cook Strait for a commercial fishing trip. When he reached the Waitui Bay area, he removed the GPR equipment, placed it in waterproof bags, attaching them to fishing buoys, tied to a rope and anchor. There is no record of where he went from that point. He returned three days later but could not find the GPR device and claimed it had been stolen.
“All commercial fishing vessels are required to have GPR technology installed and operating on their vessels. Digital monitoring supports sustainable fisheries by tracking, reporting, and monitoring all commercial fishing activity. Mr Phillipson knew that it was illegal to remove his GPR device, however, he deliberately went out of his way to do this in order to circumvent the law,” said fisheries New Zealand acting regional fisheries compliance manager, Anthony Little.
The missing GPR device was found by a member of the public and was handed to MPI.
Little said this was the first time they had encountered such an offending. partnerships for Te Tari Pūreke. “Understanding the Firearms Safety Code is necessary for everyone to get a firearms licence, and to safely possess and use firearms.”
The Firearms Safety Code was recently overhauled and republished by Te Tari Pūreke, replacing NZ Police’s Arms Code from 2013. The time was right, therefore, to create the first-ever reo Māori version of the Firearms Safety Code, McIlraith said. The code was translated by Dr Haki Tuapiki.
“Te Tari Pūreke is committed to working with all our communities to promote safe and responsible firearms practices. We recognised a need for the Firearms Safety Code in te reo to be available for Māori, and we will continue to look for more ways to incorporate reo Māori in our resources.”
The Code is available for free to download from firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz.