Toheroa Season Opens Again After Four Years

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28013, 6 July 1956, Page 13

Toheroa Season Opens Again After Four Years

‘The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON. July 5 Toheroa soup, a delicacy that has been seen on few tables in New Zealand during the last four years or so will scon make a welcome reappearance for a short season in some households. but probably not in any public restaurants. The taking of toheroas will be permitted during the months of July and August. Because stocks of toheroas in various beds round the coasts have been heavily depleted, regulations gazetted about the end of 1951 prohibited thtaking of the shellfish for four years The restriction has now been eased by amended regulations gazetted i's' December which will permit the taking of toheroas for two months each year. The regulations provide that none less than three inches in length may be sa’hered and they must not'be dug with any metal spade or other in strument. This being too efficient and destructive. Toheroas. which are found usually from six to nine inches below the surface, must be got out by the hand or a piece of wood The regulations further provide a« formerly, a limit "bag” of 20 toheroas a person, with a maximum of 50 to be removed in any one vehicle or other conveyance. In other -words, a group of five persons each with 20 toheroa**

thoTr carrv top 1? away separately, but ? car) not take the 100 away in a rn X Car - ?A s also laid dow " thal w^ter'mark hall be opened below high.Tbe 4 . ob ject is to prevent major exHiSo a ? 0n * 0f the beds and at the sam * time treat everyone fairly. There is now only one small factory i nin ?* t .9 heroa s for commercial purI* Te Konui. on DargaviEe ; Beach The operator digs alternate ' fVri 1 ? i ong , the beach and takes only , r f^ t ' shfllfish- It is from this j tactory that supplies have always been c?^-i able tr for State banquets and - imuar official functions, but not to > the general public. Surveys of the toheroa beds are made irom time to time by officers of the r ishenes Branch of the Marine Department. From one fairly recent survey f northern beach it was estimated that along a stretch of 11 miles, there were approximately 4.000.000 toheroas. some 63 per cent, of which were less tnan three inches in length. The nexi miles gave an estimate of 1.500.000. and a further length of 16 miles showed about 5.000.000. Thus, along a total length of 39 miles, there wore more than 10,000.000 toheroas. the greater part of which were undersize. Some, however, measured up to five inches in length.