Shy refugee muscles his way into the record books

Ratanak Keo had not opened mussels until coming to NZ. Picture / Christchurch Star

You don't need muscle to be a world-beater at opening a mussel.

Diminutive Christchurch man Ratanak Keo proved this in his attempt to shatter the world record for speed in mussel shucking.

Mr Keo, 24, carved through 100 mussels in just two minutes and 15 seconds, 20 seconds better than the previous best, at the Havelock Mussel Festival in Marlborough at the weekend.

He can't quite explain what makes him so good.

"I do it differently to other people. I just taught myself," he says.

Mr Keo now just awaits official confirmation of the new world record from the Guinness Book of World Records.

Not bad for a shy Cambodian refugee who fell into the contest while just trying to make a living. And he reckons he could have done better if it weren't for his preoccupation with the crowd that had gathered to watch his effort.

"I didn't even try my best because I was so nervous. They were all cheering. I was just shaking. Maybe next year I can [do better]."

Mr Keo had not opened a single mussel before he arrived with his family of eight 12 years ago.

As with many immigrants, factory work provided a means of income and after school he followed his sister's footsteps in shucking for Christchurch firm Pacifica Seafoods.

He gets plenty of practice. Each work day he opens about 14,000 mussels but doesn't try to go too fast "because I don't want to hurt myself". He listens to music to keep the boredom at bay.

The record-breaker has become a hero around his workplace and struggles with the praise showered on him by his workmates.

"I just get embarrassed and try to get away from them," he says.

Among the prizes for Mr Keo's world record is a paid weekend for four in the Marlborough Sounds and six bottles of wine. He also gets two days of paid leave.


Bluff oyster catch unchanged

No change has been made to the Bluff oyster catch, with the season set to run from Sunday until August 31.

Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the allowable commercial catch would remain at just under 15 million oysters.

Commercial fishers had agreed to catch half this quantity in each of the past two seasons because of the Bonamia parasite.

Mr Anderton said this season too it was expected that around 7.5m oysters would be landed. Projections suggested catch levels were unlikely to have a significant impact on stock.

Given that the parasite was absent from much of the fishery in a February survey, it looked like the fishery would rebuild, the minister said.

"There are large numbers of young oysters in the fishery, so provided Bonamia stays away things are looking good for the future," he said.

Bonamia, an endemic disease, was responsible for serious declines in 1962 and 1987, and from 2000 to 2003 when it was estimated to have killed a billion oysters.

A group led by the Ministry of Fisheries was drafting a fishing plan, to be ready later this year, to further improve the oyster fishery.

- NZPA