According to the ministry the proposed closed season is expected to run from 1 October 30 April inclusive, while existing bag limits would apply during an open season from 1 May to 30 September inclusive. Senior Fisheries Analyst Alan Moore informed that the numbers of cockles in the beds at Cockle Bay are decreasing rapidly. He added that the sustainability of cockles is threatened by the cumulative effect of large numbers of fishers and people who are ignoring the bag limit.
It is said that the closed season would apply to all shellfish, which the Fisheries Act defines as including cockles, pipi, mussels, cat’s eyes (pupu), kina and crabs. The exceptions are only finfish and seaweeds. According to Moore the authority propose extending the closed season to all shellfish because allowing the gathering of some shellfish and not others would confuse fishers and make it difficult for fishery officers to enforce the ban.
It is also told that when the catches were inspected many fishers had significantly exceeded the maximum daily bag limit of 50 cockles per person per day. Moorre said that a year-round daily bag limit of 50 cockles per person per day does not adequately ensure the sustainability of the cockle beds at Cockle Bay.
