Scallop season details to be announced soon

Press, 9 July 1986, Page 21

Scallop season details to be announced soon

By BARRY SIMPSON in Nelson The Minister of Fisheries, Mr Moyle, is expected within a fortnight to announce the duration and conditions applying to this year’s scallop fishing season. The opening of the season is traditionally September 1, but because of stringent conditions applying since the fishery was reopened two years ago, its duration is likely to be the same as that of last year (10 weeks) or, at the most, 13 weeks (as in 1984). Before the 1980-82 moratorium, the season was a long one, from September 1 to February. Over-fishing of the main grounds, in Golden Bay and Tasman Bay during the late 19705, and the loss of young spat in this period resulted in the closing of the fishery and a cautious reopening. For those lucky few with licences — 48 for the last three years — the licence is a passport to

Fort Knox. In 1984, it was estimated that licenceholders made an average of $lOO,OOO in 13 weeks from 2938 tonnes of shellfish harvested. Last year, on a strict quota system and in only 10 weeks, the licensed boats brought in 1958 tonnes. This yielded 300 tonnes of meat. With fishermen paid an average of $10.50 a kilogram, of meat, the processing factories paid the 48 fishermen $3,125 million, an average of $65,625 a boat. For the smaller trawlers involved in a very fragile inshore fishery, the scallop bonanza is a godsend. Unfortunately, because licence holders have been limited to 48 and there are quite a few more who would like to hold a licence, scallop fishing is a contentious subject in Nelson and Golden Bay. The Ministry of Fisheries is taking great care to see that the fishery is not over-fished and to that

end quotas and a short season have applied. Nor does the Ministry view too kindly any attempt to increase the licences. Not surprisingly those with licences do not want any increase. However, there are fishermen in the area actively campaigning for the Ministry to review the licensing situation. One is Mr Charlie Somervail, of Nelson. Mr Somervail has been fishing for more than 20 years. He has worked in the big factory trawlers and now runs the small trawler Sambeau. He held a scallop licence for 1979 but returns were so bad, at a stage when the Ministry was acting to apply a moratorium, that he decided to improve his open trawler to one that could better handle torrid conditions off the West Coast. Mr Somervail said that by taking on an extra job and putting what little return he got from a failing inshore fishery

back into his boat he could not afford the $lOO for a scallop licence which he would not use in the 1980 season. When in 1983 the moratorium was lifted, the Ministry sought applications for licences. The criterion for such a licence was that the applicant must have held a licence in 1980. Mr Somervail, after years in the fishery, let his lapse that year. He, and other long-time fishermen, would also like to hold licences, but it is probable no more will be granted. He has, however, a solution to the over-all problem. Because it was suggested originally that 60 licences would be issued, Mr Somervail said a further 12 licences should be issued immediately. A ballot system should then be introduced to enable a fair distribution of licences over the next five years.