Science Centres: Fisheries

The recreational scallop season opens today for the Auckland and Kermadec Fishery Management Area, and NIWA scientists are calling for help from scallop fishers to return tagged scallops.

The area covers Northland, the Hauraki Gulf, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and the west coast as far south as Tirua Point.

Upon their return, the tagged scallops will be used by NIWA scientists to study scallop growth and productivity.

"Figuring out how fast scallops grow in the different fishery areas will improve our understanding of scallop productivity and ultimately help us sustain a great fishery," says NIWA fisheries ecologist, Dr James Williams.

Scientists have tagged a total of over 10 000 scallops in areas of Northland, Coromandel, and the top of the South Island (Golden Bay, Tasman Bay, and the Marlborough Sounds). Commercial fishers are assisting with the programme, and have already returned some tagged scallops.

The tagging programme which is being carried out by the Ministry of Fisheries is to provide better estimates of scallop growth rate, and understand what keeps these fisheries productive. "We think that scallop growth varies from place-to-place, so different scallop beds probably contribute differently to stock productivity," says Dr James Williams.

NIWA scientists are asking all fishers to help by keeping the tagged scallops for the study. There are also some great prizes to be won, and the information collected will help keep the scallop fisheries healthy.

The Ministry of Fisheries has agreed that fishery officers will not take action against fishers who land tagged scallops that may be either undersized or are in excess of the legal daily limit.

If you catch a tagged scallop, follow these four easy steps to be in to win:

1. Keep the scallop (in a bag in the freezer is fine) and phone NIWA 09 375-2050 or 0800 RING NIWA (0800-746-464).
2. Make a note of the individual scallop tag number and tag colour (yellow or pink), when and where it was caught (GPS coordinates), and the shell length in millimetres
3. A NIWA staff member will contact you to ask about the tagged scallop, and to make arrangements for collecting the scallop.
4. Once NIWA receives the tagged scallop and information, you'll go into a prize draw to win a new catchbag, or even a Shimano rod and reel (Baitrunner or TLD 15) set valued at over $320.

There are a few things recreational fishers should remember about scallop fishing in New Zealand:

The minimum legal size for scallops in the Auckland and Kermadec area is 100 mm where the measurement is taken across the widest part of the shell.

The legal bag limit for that area is 20 scallops per fisher per day. In addition, divers may take an extra bag for each of up to two people on board a boat, provided they are acting as safety people for the divers.

In the Challenger fishery area (Golden Bay, Tasman Bay, Marlborough Sounds), the minimum legal size is 90 mm and the bag limit is 50 scallops per fisher per day.