Toheroa permits abused: Officer

A Northland delicacy is being plundered and could be wiped out if customary permits are not tightened up,  warns a  fisheries officer  who feels so strongly he has resigned over the issue.
Dargaville's Doug Carter has  quit as an honorary fisheries officer - a position he has held for 20 years - in frustration,  saying concerns that toheroa  are being legally harvested beyond sustainable levels from Ripiro Beach  have been ignored by the Ministry of Fisheries.
He alleges some west coast gatherers are abusing  privileges by using the same permit to gather more than once, while others are poaching in areas closed to gathering by the associated iwi.
"I am not trying to stop people from their rights, I only want to protect the shellfish for future generations. The toheroa population is diminishing rapidly. Reduce the permitted numbers on each permit and stop issuing any permits during spatting for at least the next two to three years," Mr Carter said.
Most of the permits he has sighted allow for 200-250 toheroa but he said he had seen several over 2000 and one of 2500.
"For every 200 gathered, twice as many are left to die on the beach or exposed to natural predators, such as birds or vehicles, because gatherers are not returning them to the sea as they should," he said.
 "Permit issuing has gathered momentum to the stage there are  8-10 permits being issued on a daily basis. This could mean up to 10,000 toheroa coming off the beach on a weekly basis, not to mention those destroyed." 
 Hapu Te Uri O Hau is also concerned at the population levels and is no longer issuing permits for gathering south from TikiTiki Point to Pouto.
Robbie Sarich, kaumatua for Repia Marae, said he would like a hui with all Kaipara hapu to "korero" the situation.
"The ministry are not doing their jobs properly," he said. "They should be in consultation with us."
A 1999  ministry survey estimated the toheroa population on Ripiro Beach to be 113 million. In 2006 a ministry survey showed the number to have almost halved to 58 million. Mr Carter estimates the population could now be only 20 million.
Three people are authorised to issue permits for the west coast.
Peri Cassidy, who is the only one living in the Kaipara area said 300 was the maximum he allowed but he acknowledged one "clerical error" for over 2000.
He did not accept permits were being used more than once and said  the ministry had never asked him to cut back on either permits or numbers.
"I do my best to ensure they know where to gather. I write the size - over 75mm - on the permit and verbally tell them the correct method to gather."
Ministry spokeswoman Lee Mitchell said  they had concerns about toheroa populations. She said a new survey  was due in 2010. In the meantime, the ministry  would monitor and research the situation.
Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley said work was continuing between the ministry, kaitiaki and himself to ensure the best information  was fed into management decisions for the health of the fish stocks.