30 August 2012

Scallop season opening for Auckland and Kermadec Areas

On 1 September 2012 the recreational scallop season will officially
open in the Auckland and Kermadec Fishery Management Area.

The Auckland and Kermadec Fishery Management Area includes Northland,
Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty.

Recreational shellfish daily bag limits in the Auckland Coromandel
area extend on the east coast from Cape Rodney around the Coromandel
Peninsula to Homunga Point (northern end of Waihi beach) and on the
west coast from Okiritoto River (Muriwai Beach) to the sand-spit at
Port Waikato.

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Northland District Compliance
Manager, Darren Edwards says fishers should familiarise and update
themselves with the regulations when planning their fishing trip.

“It is important for fishers to know their daily entitlements and
any specific restrictions on your target species,” says Mr Edwards.

The legal bag limit for scallops in this area is twenty per fisher
per day. In addition, divers are entitled to take an amount
equivalent to an extra daily bag for each of up to two safety people
on board a boat — provided they are acting as safety people for the
divers.

“The minimum legal size of scallops in the Auckland and Kermadec
Area is 100 millimetres measured across the widest part of the shell.
It is important for each fisher to count and measure their
scallops.”

The scallop season in this area closes on 31 March 2013. The closure
allows scallops to spawn without being disturbed.

“Fishery Officers will again be actively patrolling Northland
waters this scallop season but cannot be everywhere so we will be
asking for the public’s assistance. If you see people taking more
than the legal limit, you should report them by calling 0800 4
POACHER (0800 476 224).”
ends

© Scoop Media