January 15, 2021
Whaingaroa Harbour off limits for scallops
Commercial fishing is being blamed for a shortage of scallops in a far north harbour.
Hapū around Whangaroa Harbour have declared a rāhui on scallop collection, starting tomorrow.
Raniera Kaio from Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa says a community hui on Monday concluded most of the damage was done by boats dredging the beds at the harbour mouth.
He says people cannot remember having been able to collect enough for customary use in more than a decade.
“There have not been ample for hākari. The numbers have been at just recreational levels, and they have diminished even more in recent years,” he says.
Mr Kaio says they have received advice from Ngāti Kahu which has imposed a similar ban at Maitai Bay on Karikari Peninsula, and from other hapū and iwi which have used rāhui to manage stocks of kaimoana.
He says the reaction from other community members and fishers has been positive, with most of the concerns about the legality of the rāhui and how it will be monitored.
Posters will be put up at boat launch ramps near the scallop beds, and hapu are working with fishing clubs, fishing company Moana and the Ministry for Primary Industries to get the word out.
The rāhui area includes all of Whaingaroa Harbour, from Taupō Bay to Ririwha on Mahinepua/Stephenson Island and down to Whangaihe Bay, and it could last from one to three years.
The rahui will start with a dawn karakia tomorrow.
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