Pāua beds ‘stripped bare’ by visitors
Members of Taranaki’s coastal community fear the region’s pāua beds are being stripped bare by hundreds of visitors, many from outside the area, including Auckland.
A run of very low tides this month has made the problem worse, as it has been easier than normal to get to the rocks between Oakura and Opunake where the shellfish live.
Pāua is a delicacy that can sell for $25 each, but it is illegal for amateur fishers to sell or trade their catch. In Taranaki, people are permitted to gather up to 10 pāua of 85mm or larger per person per day.
Third-generation farmer Karl Stanley, who lives on Arawhata Rd near Opunake, said he counted 69 cars at the beach at the end of his road last week, and over four days watched hordes of vehicles going back and forth at each low tide.
‘‘Normally, you might have two or three families on a pāua tide, but when you get 70 carloads all turning up at once, it’s a gamechanger,’’ he said. ‘‘We haven’t seen it so bad. It used to be one or two people breaking the rules, now there seems to be organised mass gatherings . . . you can’t start taking that much pāua and think you will have some left for your kids.’’
Stanley said more fisheries officers were needed to monitor the coastline.
‘‘I think if we could close the coast until we sort this out – if it keeps on for the rest of the summer, there won’t be much left.’’
Stanley’s neighbour, Barry Tippett, described the situation as a free for all. He said most of the cars had Auckland number plates.
‘‘It’s been steady pretty much every day since Christmas, and it got worse during those very low tides. Just before Christmas, at 10 o’clock one night, there were 20 cars in the car park, and people out gathering with head torches on.’’
Wayne Cribb, who has been diving for pāua for much of his life, said locals were feeling frustrated and one had even talked of locking the road at the next high tide.
‘‘It’s about being proactive,’’ he said. ‘‘We can sit on our hands and watch it go by, or we can look for a solution and do something about it.’’
Cribb was concerned for the longevity of the pāua beds. ‘‘As New Zealanders and members of Aotearoa, I think we all have a responsibility to look after them.’’
Some people were taking more than pāua, he added.
‘‘They’re taking everything. I see their buckets with cat’s eyes, limpets and small kina,’’ Cribb said. ‘‘It’s not just pāua, the entire ecosystem on the reef is being stripped.’’
Some groups had been gathering twice their daily limit, said Erin John, who has started a Facebook group ‘‘Save Our Kaimoana’’.
‘‘They come to the beach at 5am with low tide, take their catch and leave. Then they come back in the afternoon for low tide,’’ she said. ‘‘They’re not taking 10 pāua a day, they’re taking 20 a day.’’
Locals had found empty shells of undersized pāua on roadsides, and plastic bags of pāua tucked under rocks, to be collected later.
‘‘You’re not supposed to shell them while you are on the rocks,’’ John said. ‘‘All of these things show there is clearly behaviour which requires monitoring.’’
A recent community meeting at Oaonui hall brought together farmers, boat and fishing club members, hapū members and others.
‘‘It was all the people who have been in the thick of it,’’ John said. ‘‘This is not a Māori problem, it is a community problem. This whole grassroots community initiative is the way to go.’’
Those at the meeting had agreed to take practical steps in getting signs with the rules for harvesting pāua explained in different languages, and several farmers had volunteered to instal them.
They also wanted help from the Government to find a solution and assistance in getting more local volunteer warranted fisheries officers appointed.
The idea of introducing rahui, or restrictions on gathering, was canvassed but would need ‘‘really robust’’ consultation with all the stakeholders, John said.
The Government recently banned the harvesting of scallops, mussels, crayfish and pāua from Waiheke Island waters.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker, made the decision after a request from Ngāti Pāoa.
Jason Howat, Ministry for Primary Industries fisheries compliance district team leader, said in a statement that during the holiday period it was not unusual for people to visit friends and family and gather pāua, but they should follow the rules.
‘‘If people would like to provide us with information, they should contact us on 0800 4 POACHER and we will investigate.’’
Howat said there were three fulltime fishery officers based in Taranaki, supported by four honorary fishery officers, and they also work with local police.