Scallop beds for harvest

Press, 9 July 1986, Page 21

Scallop beds for harvest

Some of the 35 million scallop spat which seeded beds in Golden Bay in 1984 will be harvested for the first time this year. A Ministry of Fisheries scientist, Dr Mike Bull, who is overseeing the operation for the Ministry, said in the April issue of “Catch 86,” that the first harvesting would take place in November after the commercial scallop season ended. The scallop enhancement programme carried out by the Ministry and

the Overseas Fishing Cooperation Foundation of Japan since 1983 had progressed well since the first seeding release in May, 1984, said Dr Bull. He was cautiously optimistic about the results of surveys in the areas concerned. Figures collected in some circumstances "delighted” him, but in other areas there was some concern about the low survival rates, he said. Along with the 35 million spat released in

1984 are a further 20 million in 1985 and, already this year, a further 55 million. The latest survey of the beds would be made soon, said Dr Bull. “Dive” surveys of the seeded areas indicated a variety of survival rates, from as high as 80 per cent (1985) after three months to 26 per cent after 15 months and to less than 2 per cent for some areas. The figure of 26 per cent survival rate (for spat bag releases in

1984) was extremely good, he said. However, evidence collected and borne out by statistics confirmed the Japanese claim that survival of newly released spat was much lower on areas which were heavily trawled. The harvesting will be done by local vessels on a research charter basis and scallops harvested will be sold to provide funds for the continuation of the project.