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Cockle Bay will be closed to the gathering of all shellfish from 16 October this year to 30 April 2009 and then each year from 1 October to 30 April the following year (inclusive).
There has been widespread community concern at the large number of people gathering cockles and the amounts that some groups have been taking.
Jim Anderton said fishery officers and honorary fishery officers had observed large crowds gathering cockles, including an estimated 1500 people on the beach on Auckland Anniversary Day. “When catches were inspected by officers, many fishers had significantly exceeded the maximum daily bag limit of 50 cockles per person per day.”
Surveys of the cockle beds carried out by the Chinese Conservation Education Trust confirm a marked and rapid decline in the cockle population at Cockle Bay. These surveys, carried out regularly over a three-year period, show the population at some of the sample sites has been reduced to only a third of its size in 2005.
Although cockles are the main species gathered at Cockle Bay, the seasonal closure applies to all shellfish species including cockles, pipi, mussels, cat’s eyes (pupu), kina and crabs.
During the open season for shellfish gathering, 1 May to 30 September, the existing daily bag limit of 50 cockles per fisher per day will apply.
Signs will be erected at both Cockle Bay and Umupuia Beach to advise people of the closures. Fishery officers and honorary fishery officers will be patrolling and enforcing the closures. Fines of up to a maximum of $100,000 apply to anybody caught breaching these closures.
Further information, including the advice papers from the Ministry of Fisheries and the rules for shellfish gathering in the Auckland area are available on the Ministry of Fisheries website www.fish.govt.nz
Contact Cathie Bell (press secretary) on 04 4719936 or 027 4998467
Cathie.Bell@parliament.govt.nz
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