January 24, 2017
Kaikoura kai needs more time to recover
The Ministry for Primary Industries wants to extend the ban on collecting shellfish and seaweed along the Kaikoura coast a further nine months.
Dave Turner, the ministry’s director for fisheries management, says most of the important paua fishing grounds were affected by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, and the short-term mortality of paua and other shellfish and seaweed was high.
Long-term mortalities cannot yet be estimated, and the ministry wants to do more research.
The rock lobster fishery is faring well and has been reopened.
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