Citation
Summary
This survey provided detailed information on the amateur harvest of blackfoot pāua (Haliotis iris) in the Kaikōura Marine Area. Estimates of total recreational fishing effort and data on the size and catch rate of pāua were collected using roving counts of fishers and interviews at land-based access points along 60 km of coastal highway.
Following a series of significant earthquakes in 2016, the commercial and recreational fisheries from Marfells Beach to the Conway River were closed to pāua harvesting to allow for protection of the remaining pāua populations and associated habitats. The fishery reopened for the first time in December 2021 for a three-month open season and has since been reopened year round for commercial fishers plus there have been two open seasons over autumn in 2023 and 2024 for recreational fishers.
The amateur pāua harvest survey was initiated to monitor catch and how the pāua stock responded to fishing pressure following the earthquakes. This report documents the third survey conducted to estimate the amateur harvest of pāua in the Kaikōura Marine Area, and the second survey to provide inseason weekly updates of harvest estimates during an open season in autumn. The surveyed 2024 open season lasted from 22 April to 21 June. The primary sampling unit in this survey was a random selection of days stratified by holiday/weekend days and weekdays. The opening week was split into two separate temporal strata to account for the first two opening days and a public holiday weekend. A single access point survey in Oaro was also included in the on-site interviews. Data for harvest estimates for rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii), yellowfoot pāua (Haliotis australis) and kina (Evechinus chloroticus) were also collected and analysed.
Wading and hand gathering or free diving with mask and snorkel were harvest methods used by pāua gatherers across high and low tide. Gathering pāua using SCUBA or other underwater breathing apparatus is not permitted.
There were four Māori customary fishing areas closed to pāua fishing in the Kaikōura Marine Area during the open season including the taiāpure around the Kaikōura Peninsula. The Hikurangi Marine Reserve covers two kilometres of rocky coast and is permanently closed to removal of all marine species.
The survey in areas open to pāua fishing in the Kaikōura Marine Area estimated a total of 35 260 pāua were kept. Based on length and weight data collected, the amateur harvest estimate of pāua at Oaro for the survey period was 59.2 kg (CV 0.42) and the combined survey area was 15.83 tonnes (CV 0.18).