By Rosaleen MacBrayne
WHANGAMATA - A mystery blight dubbed "black skirt disease" is devastating the Coromandel scallop industry.
At least one processing factory, Whangamata Seafoods, is preparing to close its doors today, putting at least 40 people out of work.
The disease, seriously threatening the shellfish stocks on both sides of the Coromandel
Peninsula, has spread as far north as Waiheke Island and south to Motiti Island near Tauranga.
Affected scallops have black gills (instead of the normal brown-pink colour), watery flesh and a bitter taste.
First signs were reported last month, but the extent of the problem has become obvious only over the past weeks.
Marine scientists at the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research have so far not been able to identify the naturally occurring organic disease and have sent samples overseas.
For Peter Sopp, manager and partner in Whangamata Seafoods, the mystery illness looks like a fatal blow to an industry already hard hit by crippling levies and the legislated loss last year of scallop beds to recreational fishers.
"It is absolutely disastrous," he said yesterday.
Mr Sopp said the scarcity of healthy scallops meant the factory would have to close, also putting the crews of the company's two boats out of jobs.
