Bream Bay Beach safety group glad paddle crabbers wearing lifejackets, taking rubbish

Brent said the Beach Ambassadors wouldn't be able to do the job properly without the donated Gator.

The Bream Bay Beach Ambassadors say paddle crab fishers are exercising a lot more vigilance this summer and consistently taking their rubbish with them.

Senior Constable and Bream Bay Beach Ambassador founder Martin Geddes said he was really happy with the changes the Ambassadors had observed on the beach so far this summer.

A safety campaign was launched to alert the mainly Asian crabbers to the dangers of the area after five males of Asian descent died while fishing for crabs at Bream Bay since 2011.

Concerns about crabbers dying and getting out of their depth in Bream Bay sparked a successful safety campaign that has made the practice safer, police say.

"People are really listening to the messages we're sending out and wearing lifejackets which is great. The sea conditions have been calm as well which has helped."

Mr Geddes started the safety campaign to reduce the number of drownings on the beach and, in particular, to educate an increasing number of out-of-towners visiting the area to catch paddle crabs.

"We started the initiative in response to a number of drownings, we decided something needed to be done.

Senior Constable and Bream Bay Beach Ambassador founder Martin Geddes said crabbers this summer had been following safety messages.

"We needed an ambulance at the top of the cliff as opposed to the bottom, so the group was formed with that in mind."

Mr Geddes said the drownings were a result of people trying to fish in rough conditions that they were not familiar with.

There have been no drownings this season, and Mr Geddes was not aware of any close calls. He said he was really happy with the changes the group have brought about so far.

"We do plan to get more volunteers on board and more funding but we're happy with the direction things are heading right now."

A team of about 12 ambassadors regularly patrol the beach during the summer in a beach buggy that allows them to cover the 12km stretch of coast quickly.

The "Gator" was donated by Cervus Equipment in Whangarei.

Bream Bay Beach Ambassador training officer Brent Cooper said the Gator had been an invaluable tool when patrolling the beach.

Mr Cooper said one of the biggest changes he had seen on the beach was the presence of lifejackets.

"Last year around 20 per cent of all crabbers had lifejackets on, whereas this year 80 per cent of them [the crabbers] are wearing them."

Mr Cooper was among the group of locals who joined forces with police after becoming disgruntled with rubbish, chicken carcasses and defecation that was left on the beach by the crabbers.

The paddle crabbers often used chicken carcasses to lure crabs into their pots, Mr Cooper said.

In years gone by, these were often left behind on the beach, but this summer Mr Cooper said he hadn't had to pick up one carcass.

"This year is just amazing, everyone is saying what a huge improvement there's been," Mr Cooper said.

"The first time there were 120 chicken carcasses when I first started last year then at the end of the season I couldn't count any more than five, that shows we're really getting through to them."

He said he got involved after becoming dismayed with the amount of litter left behind during the crabbing season.

"I used to go for walks along the beach with my wife and dog and I used to get absolutely sick seeing the carcasses on the beach.

"As a local we love our beach, you love to walk down the beach and you don't want to see plastic bags and beer bottles. It's terrible, I think about grandkids going into have a swim and stepping on chicken bones."

Mr Cooper said the group is there to educate people and keep the beaches clean and safe for everyone to use.

"We haven't got it perfect, there are still idiots that leave a bit of rubbish but we've already seen a huge improvement in the last year, so long may that continue."