September 08, 2022
Scallop stress prompts rahui
Mana whenua for one of the last open scallop beds in the Hauraki Gulf say it has to close.
The government earlier this year closed all the northern scallop fisheries except two areas off Hauturu-Little Barrier and Aotea-Great Barrier.
Ngati Manuhiri chief executive Nicola MacDonald says the iwi has declared a rahui over Hauturu to stop the taonga species becoming extinct.
She says there’s about 30 quota holders, but questions need to be asked about whether a commercial fishery still exists.
“Ngati Manuhiri and many other mana whenua are saying ‘no, it can’t.’ We can’t sustain daily limits for recreational fishers. W certainly can’t sustain quota holders for commercial fisheries. We’ve got to close it,” she says.
Scallop season opened last Thursday, but Ms MacDonald says iwi hope the public will respect the rahui, and it’s also asking the Fisheries Ministry to support closure.