There is a ban from collecting kaimoana (except crayfish) along the New Plymouth to Ōpunakē coastline. Photo: supplied
The Ministry for Primary Industries is warning visitors to Taranaki this summer they could face hefty fines if they collect kaimoana - except crayfish - along the New Plymouth to Ōpunakē coastline.
A two-year total-take ban came into effect under the Fisheries Act in December.
It gives legal teeth to a customary rāhui local hapū placed on the coastline about a year ago after convoys of out of region visitors took pāua and other shellfish threatening to strip reefs bare.
Regional manager fisheries compliance Andre Espinoza said his staff would be keeping a close eye on the coastline.
"Fisheries officers will be conducting proactive patrols in the western Taranaki coast area and looking to educate people about the closure and ensuring compliance."
The coastline had previously had issues with excess and undersized pāua take and stickers about the new ban were being put on existing signage, Espinoza said.
"We are in the process with our iwi partners to create some new signage for the area, but we're not going to get it done in time. So, what we've done in the interim is we're putting stickers on all the existing pāua-related signs and they'll be pointing to the right places for information which would the be the NZ Fishing app and also the MPI website."
People breaching the ban face fines of up to $5000 or up $100,000 if it was gathered to on-sell.
Minister for Oceans and Fisheries David Parker was still considering whether or not to add crayfish / rock lobster to the ban.
Mahara Okeroa said there have been clear signs that the fishery was under stress. Photo: Te Korimako o Taranaki via LDR
Parihaka kaumātua Mahara Okeroa was a driving force behind Taranaki iwi hapū placing a rāhui along the coastline and the subsequent application for a ban under section 186A of the Fisheries Act.
Okeroa said the reefs in the area, which had been protected through traditional practices for centuries, had risked being left barren.
"The phenomenon was that our coastline was inundated with a whole range of people coming [from] as far away as Wellington and Auckland and everything in-between."
Okeroa said growing up at Parihaka individual families had the responsibility for specific reefs and managed what was taken to ensure there were future stocks.
In recent times, there were clear signs that the fishery was under stress.
"For us we notice any changes in the ecosystem with respect to what's out there. We've noticed for example a huge increase in kina. Now the natural prey for kina is crayfish, so we are into another scenario there big time.
"All I can say briefly is that we consider the ecosystem of the ocean with respect to the species in it is out of balance."
Kaitiaki who had been out every week educating, advising and informing people all year about the rāhui were looking forward to having the support of fisheries officers and police to enforce the new ban and they would continue to monitor the coast, observing behaviour and alerting the authorities if necessary, Okeroa said.
He also acknowledged the sacrifice hapū had made since the rāhui had been in place.
"Under Māori customary legislation we could have exercised our right to continue to harvest pāua, even under a rāhui. We decided to forgo that right for the kaupapa. We want to do this as a community.
"People who've grown up on the mātaitai (seafood) are sacrificing a food source that's essential not only for their tīnana (body) but their wairua (spirit). But more important to them was adding impetus to what we're asking others to do."
Jacqui King is chair of Te Kāhui o Taranaki Iwi.
It supported hapū make the application for a ban under section 186A of the Fisheries Act.
King said what hapū iwi members had witnessed had got out of hand.
"I don't think it gets much worse to be honest certainly as the busloads started to arrive post lockdown and there were buses, multiple buses that our kaitiaki on the ground found at one of the hits on the coast and there were numbers of people, numbers and numbers, scores of people.
"And once the buses stopped they started coming in convoys and it wasn't just long weekends, which has historically happened but maybe not at these levels, but it was pretty much most weekends convoys were travelling down from out of town."
The impact to kaimoana stocks was clear, King said.
"What was really noticeable to our whānau who do this everyday or every week at least, who are down on the coast, was that you were having to go further and further to even see any kai.
"Many of our whānau and local community rely on this as a main source of nutrition and cultural sustenance. We had to act urgently to ensure our taonga was protected and our tikanga and kaitiaki decisions were taken seriously."
King hoped the two-year ban would enable the resource to recover.
Meanwhile, MPI's Andre Espinoza had a plea for visitors to the coastline.
"Please, please abide by the new rules they are there for a good reason and it's really important that everyone plays their part to protect the sustainability of the kaimoana across that coastline, so I just really encourage people to abide by the law."
The ban
The ban extends from Herekawe Stream in New Plymouth to Taungātara Stream just south of Ōpunakē, and two nautical miles offshore to include kaimoana nurseries.
It covers all shellfish (except rock lobster), conger eels (Conger wilsoni and Conger verreauxi) all seaweed (excluding beach cast seaweed) and all species of anemones.
Fin fish are not included.