Bluff oyster season quota likely to be slashed

Oyster squeeze A Bluff oyster season with a quota slashed to half of last year's catch is the most likely scenario for the coming season, says a Fisheries Ministry analyst.

That would make it a quarter of what it was two years ago, Allen Frazer said.

But the results of the latest oyster bed survey, due out in the next few days, would give a better indication of the state of the beds after the summer layoff, he said.

Bluff Oyster Management Company chairman David Skeggs was confident the season would start on March 23.

Fisheries Minister Pete Hodgson is expected to decide within two weeks.