Have you seen a SCALLOP tag? NIWA needs you to play tag and be into win
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Science Centres: Fisheries
The scallop season opens today for most of New Zealand, except for Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Northland where the season starts on 1 September, and NIWA scientists are calling for help from scallop fishers to return tagged scallops.
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.
The scientists tagged over 9000 scallops in areas of Northland, Coromandel, and the top of the South Island: Golden Bay, Tasman Bay, and Marlborough Sounds, during May – July 2010.
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:
- Keep the scallop (in a bag in the freezer is fine) and phone NIWA 09 375-2050 or 0800 RING NIWA (0800-746-464).
- 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 mm).
- A NIWA staff member will make contact to ask about the tagged scallop, and to make arrangements for collecting the scallop.
- 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 millimetres 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 scallop per fisher per day.
For further comment
James Williams
NIWA Stock Assessment Scientist/Fisheries Ecologist
Tel: 09 3752062
Greg Keys
Ministry of Fisheries Field Operations Manager (Auckland)
Tel: 09 820 7670
Notes
Download images at: ftp://ftp.niwa.co.nz/niwamedia/Scallops
Images:
Scallops_1
Holly Ferguson, Fisheries and Marine Ecology Technician, NIWA Auckland
Credit photographer James Williams
Scallops_2
Scallops and tag
Credit photographer James Williams
