Fisheries New Zealand has defended its actions, saying the work will help provide insights into the fishery to support its recovery.
Ōpito Bay Ratepayers Association chairperson Chris Severne said there had been overwhelming community support for the closure of the local Coromandel fishery because scallop numbers were at the lowest they had ever seen.
“After all the community’s conservation efforts over the past four years it’s unacceptable for Fisheries New Zealand to be using a dredge, especially given the risk of spreading the invasive seaweed Caulerpa throughout Coromandel waters; it’s not okay.”
Emma Taylor, director of fisheries management for Fisheries New Zealand, confirmed the scallop beds were being surveyed using a dredge to provide comparable data to previous surveys.
“The survey will provide additional data on scallop populations and improve intercalibration between camera, diver and dredge survey methods.
“The actual area surveyed is very low compared to the extent of scallop beds, and Fisheries New Zealand does not consider that a dredge survey will have significant negative impact on the areas being surveyed.
“For example, in the Bay of Plenty the approximate area being surveyed by dredge represents 0.01 % of the scallop beds surveyed between Waihī and Mōtītī Island.”
The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, in a statement, said a multi-stakeholder working group chaired by Fisheries New Zealand in May agreed a non-contact camera survey was acceptable given the waters off east Northland, the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty were all closed because there were not enough scallops to sustain commercial and recreational harvest.
“Results of Fisheries New Zealand’s studies over the past three years show that a dredge survey is only 70% efficient compared to camera-diver surveys which are 100% efficient; Niwa has just finished using cameras to survey the local Coromandel beds and found very few scallops.”
Taylor said the scallop fisheries had been fully closed since 2023 because of sustainability concerns and remained closed to commercial and recreational scallop fishing.
“Any proposals to reopen the fishery would follow the usual statutory processes including public consultation and would be based on the best available information.
“Caulerpa is an issue that we take very seriously, and protocols are in place to minimise the risk of encountering and spreading exotic Caulerpa during the survey; the survey is limited to areas outside of the controlled area notice boundaries and other known exotic Caulerpa infestations.”
Tairua-Pāuanui Sports Fishing Club president Warren Maher said dredging had brought the fishery to the point of depletion, so it was encouraging that camera surveys that had been developed over the past couple of years were efficient and less damaging.
“It’s unthinkable that anyone is considering using a dredge to find scallops that are clearly not there.”
In 2020 the Tairua-Pauanui Sports Fishing Club, Ngāti Hei, Ōpito Bay Ratepayers Association, LegaSea, New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, New Zealand Underwater Association and representatives from Coromandel communities formed the Coromandel Scallop Restoration Team with the aim of restoring and sustaining scallop populations in local waters.
The restoration team commissioned a dive survey led by Maher, who as dive survey leader, said he was shocked by the survey results. At the time he relayed divers’ concerns about the damage caused by dredges and the low numbers of small scallops.
Project lead Sam Woolford said lobby group LegaSea was one of multiple groups in 2021 calling on the Government to reduce catches or buy out the quota in the Coromandel scallop fishery.
“It is very frustrating that officials are once again bowing down to commercial interests when they challenge the results of peer-reviewed studies.
“The Coromandel area was the last commercial scallop fishery left in New Zealand, reduced from a highly successful fleet of 23, down to just four vessels. The results from the camera survey are clear, dredging is not a successful or sustainable strategy. We need a buy-out so we can rebuild scallop numbers to a viable level, then when the fishery reopens, only permit low-impact fishing techniques and seasonal closures.”
