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Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has extended the ban on taking shellfish and seaweed along the earthquake-affected area of the east coast of the South Island for a further nine months.
The ban excludes scampi and rock lobster.
He says the latest scientific assessments indicate shellfish in the Kaikoura area have been badly impacted, with more than 20 percent of adult paua habitat covering 94 hectares in the closed portion of the Paua 3 fishery lost because of uplift.
The area where juvenile paua live has been impacted to an even greater degree.
He says people will understand the need to rebuild the fishery for the long term by giving the remaining adult paua and shellfish beds time to spawn, and the juveniles a chance to settle.
The ministry will assess the feasibility of a paua reseeding programme.”
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