Rāhui tapū placed over Hauraki Gulf to allow depleted scallop beds to recover

Saturday, 5 February 2022

A voluntary ban on taking scallops in Ōpito Bay on the Coromandel was brought in after a noticeable drop in scallop numbers. (Video first published in 2021.)

A rāhui tapū has been placed over the Hauraki Gulf and much of north Auckland’s east coast, as concerns grow for diminishing tipa (scallop) numbers.

The rāhui tapū (ban of an area or resource) was laid by Ngāti Manuhiri kaumatua at a dawn ceremony at Tāwharanui Regional Park on Waitangi Day.

A Fisheries New Zealand review into scallop stocks from Northland to the Coromandel in 2021 found biomass levels – the number of organisms in a given area – had declined since previous surveys in 2007 and 2012 and were close to the lowest recorded levels.

Sam Woolford of LegaSea, a non-profit organisation raising awareness for issues affecting recreational fishing, said too many scallops were being harvested, the process of which degrades their habitats.

* Fears Coromandel's two-year scallop rāhui will squeeze other Hauraki Gulf fisheries

* In dire straits: Experts call for 30 per cent of Hauraki Gulf to be protected

Boats dragging steel frames with teeth across the sea floor to harvest scallops resulted in re-sedimentation, or the process of silt being lifted in the water and re-settling.

Scallop populations in New Zealand are declining.

This smothers the scallops and other shellfish and crustaceans that are not harvested, Woolford said.

“They just sit there, and they get buried by silt.”

He added that the damage to the sea floor leaves future generations of scallops with an unhealthy living environment.

“There’s going to be nothing left.”

The rāhui tapū covers from Mangawhai Heads out to Aotea/Great Barrier Island (pictured) and down to Takapuna. (File photo)

Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust acting CEO Nicola MacDonald said the rāhui tapū was being laid on Waitangi Day in acknowledgement of Te Titiri ō Waitangi, which recognised Māori rangatiratanga (authority, ownership).

Whānau travelled from around the country to attend the ceremony and support the rāhui tapū.

“If we don’t do something about protection, this beautiful taonga (treasure) species will potentially be wiped out.”

MacDonald said the iwi had received “huge support” for the rāhui tapū from local non-Māori clubs in the area, including the Kawau Boating Club, Warkworth Gamefish Club, Mangawhai Boating and Fishing Club, Omaha Beach Community Inc, the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, Yachting New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and New Zealand Underwater Association.

“We can’t wish for better kaitiaki (guardians) for the future.”

MacDonald expected the rāhui tapū would remain in place until scallop regeneration was evident.

Next week, the trust will make an application with Minister of Oceans and Fisheries David Parker to suspend scallop fishery operations in the Hauraki Gulf for two years, to allow the scallop beds to recover, under section 186A of the Fisheries Act.

MacDonald was hopeful Parker would grant the application, as has been done for scallop beds in the Coromandel, Tasman Bay, Marlborough Sounds and Kaipara.

In a statement to Stuff, Parker said New Zealand’s three main scallop fisheries were in trouble and were experiencing “substantial declines”.

He was aware of the iwi’s intention to make an application and would make a decision as part of the April sustainability review.

“Once applications are made there is a statutory process to be followed. The details of these issues will be worked through with officials.”