Dive Pacific 175 Dec2020 Jan 2021

LegaSea Update
Scallops are delicious
Divers, divers everywhere, not
a scallop to be seen. We’ve
had some grim reports recently
about the lack of scallops in Opito
Bay, on the eastern seaboard
of the Coromandel Peninsula,
and on the western side of the
Peninsula too. Sadly, these are
not isolated cases of depletion.
They represent further examples
of poor management of local
fisheries resources on behalf of
our coastal communities.
Scallops are like no other shellfish.
Abundance can be highly
variable; there one year and
gone the next. In Opito Bay the
locals are concerned that years
of concentrated dredging effort
by commercial and recreational
fishers has depleted the fishery
and caused long-term damage.
In the past few years they have
been worried enough to approach
Fisheries New Zealand for a
solution and had no meaningful
response.
LegaSea and the New Zealand
Sport Fishing Council’s Bay of
Plenty clubs are now working
with the local community to find
a solution. Any resolution is likely
to be at least two years away.
Rahui?
There is strong support for Ngati
Hei, mana whenua of the area,
to initiate a rahui, a customary
area closure. Ngati Hei are keen
to include all of the community in
discussions to ensure widespread
support for any outcome.
Fisheries New Zealand will also
need to get involved, and later on
the Minister will need to give his
approval before a customary tool
can be applied.
Back to the future?
A law change in the early 1990s
removed the ability of the general
public to apply a regulatory
tool to manage local fisheries
resources. The burden of responsibility
then has, by default,
fallen on the shoulders of mana
whenua, local Maori. There are
several options available to Maori
under the Customary Regulations
or Fisheries Act; all take time
to implement. Building trusting
relationships between community
groups also takes time.
Change needs to happen because
it is abundantly clear that current
management and localised
depletion is not serving anyone.
It just doesn’t make sense to
have such a scarce and fragile
resource being targeted by fishers
using dredges that do long term
damage to the seabed.
Mission lost?
In the year 2000 the waters
surrounding Coromandel were
carved out as part of the Hauraki
Gulf Marine Park. This is an area
set aside so that the marine
resources could be maintained
for the enjoyment of the coastal
communities around the Gulf.
That mission card has clearly
been lost over time.
There is a ray of hope for these
communities seeking a more
abundant fishery in their local
waters. While it may take
some time to effect change,
the outcome might be just
as delicious as a plate full of
scallops.
Want to help?
If you want to help this
ongoing effort, please support
us.
https://legasea.co.nz/support-us
8 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific