MPI has its eye on shellfish gatherers
"I think our system is pretty good at the moment. I think people are becoming more and more aware of how to look after our sea life."
Richard Ratapu
The Ministry for Primary Industries is calling for less greed around shellfish gathering this summer.
Shellfish restrictions were vital for New Zealand’s oceans and those trying to skirt the rules would be caught, Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) fisheries officer Richard Ratapu said.
He said while nine out of 10 people stayed within the limit, there were always those who wanted to go outside the law.
The emphasis was on education rather than enforcement, he said.
‘‘We’ve got a good system where we educate and go forward.
‘‘They’ve got to be there restrictions and compliance is a must. If we don’t it’s going to go.
‘‘There’s always an element of greed with communities. Take out what you need.’’
Taranaki has 10 honorary fisheries officers and two fulltime officers, with the possibility of a third being appointed before April, covering from Mo¯kau to the Whanganui River.
The Amateur Taranaki Pa¯ua Fishery Area runs from the Awakino River to the Whanganui River and allows fishers to take or possess pa¯ ua that are 85 millimetre or greater in length due to Taranaki pa¯ ua being naturally small. Pa¯ ua outside of the area must be 125mm or greater, and the 10 per day limit still applies.
Ratapu said he didn’t think the ability to gather shellfish from the wild was under threat.
‘‘I think our system is pretty good at the moment. I think people are becoming more and more aware of how to look after our sea life.’’
Yesterday Ratapu said there had been no reports of over fishing, or taking more than the daily limit.
‘‘We had one report of obstruction from a group which we did not expect but on the whole our road checks have resulted in a positive attitude from people we have talked to.’’
However, a South Taranaki man who has fished for 50 years along the coast near Opunake said the amount of undersized pa¯ua and kina being taken from the shellfish beds was ‘‘disgusting’’.
The man, who did not want to give his name for fear of being threatened, said he had witnessed countless times people collecting undersized pa¯ ua at low tide at Te Namu Bay, near Opunake.
‘‘I see them go down and come back 10 minutes later with a plastic bag half full of pa¯ ua.
‘‘There’s no way you can find legal sized pa¯ ua in that time; you have to go looking for them further out and it usually takes around an hour.’’
The man said he had approached people he suspected of poaching in the past but the response had been aggressive.
‘‘The worst is that people don’t seem to care they are slowly helping destroy the shellfish beds.
‘‘They just treat it as a way to get a quick, free feed.
‘‘The stocks are decreasing, and where you had to be careful not to step on pa¯ua now you see very little.’’
Ratapu said while MPI could not always respond immediately, officers did work to catch those who were reported - often catching them on the road after leaving the beach or door knocking them. Most shellfish stocks in the region remained strong, he said.
‘‘If you’re offending you will get caught,’’ Ratapu said.
The agencies’ poacher hotlines are (DOC) 0800 362 468, and (MPI) 0800 POACHER, 0800 476 224.