Nelson oyster season ends early

Nelson's year-round oyster season has halted prematurely because of concerns about the quality of harvested shellfish meat.

But Russell Mincher, chief executive of Challenger Dredge Oyster Management Company, said fishermen had reported healthy stocks of juvenile oysters in Tasman and Golden Bays, a positive sign for the fishery's future.

The closure comes eight months into an oyster fishing year in which stakeholders agreed to voluntarily shelve 355 tonnes of the fishery's 505-tonne total allowable commercial catch as a sustainability measure.