Seven New Boats To Join Oyster Fleet

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31942, 20 March 1969, Page 16

Seven New Boats To Join Oyster Fleet

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, March 19. Seven new licences had been issued recently for boats to join the Bluff oyster fleet, the Marine Department’s administration officer at Invercargill (Mr E. L. Allen) said this morning.

Earlier, the Minister of Marine (Mr Scott) had confirmed that more boats would join the fleet, in spite of objections from oystermen. Mr Allen said the licences had not been issued “in a flood.” They resulted from applications made in recent months. Mr Scott said that there was no limit to the size of any fleet, in law. The only qualification was that boat owners paid a permit fee which depended on the length of their vessel.

No decision had been made. He was merely trying to convey the general opinion he felt prevailed at last night's meeting.

The oystermen’s branch of the Seamen’s Union has placed a ban on its members manning any additional oyster dredgers. But Mr Scott pointed out that this could be circumvented by boats being manned by a syndicate of owners.

Twenty-nine boats were now entitled to work the oyster beds, Mr Allen said. Mr Scott confirmed that a closed meeting in Invercargill last night had discussed the return of oyster shells to the beds. He expected the fishermen to decide on ways of financing this, until legislation could be passed, by making a levy for it on each sack of shellfish landed.