Fisheries drives home scallop-gathering laws

Fisheries officials want scallop divers to chant the mantra "measure on the seabed" during the season, which opened yesterday.

The Ministry of Fisheries says scallops and other shellfish must be measured and sorted at the first opportunity.

"For divers, that is at the point of harvest, while the diver is still underwater.

"For those dredging, it is immediately when the dredge comes on board the boat."

The ministry said the daily scallop limit for each diver was 20, except in the Challenger area, northwest of Nelson, where it was 50. The minimum size was 100mm, or 90mm in the Challenger area.

It was an offence to have more scallops than the daily limit, but a defence was possible if a fisher could prove the shellfish were taken legally, the ministry said.

When several people were on board a boat harvesting for more than a day, officials suggested each diver's daily catch should be separately bagged and labelled.

"Those gathering scallops should also remember that it is illegal to possess scallops at sea out of the shell, so it would therefore be illegal to open and cook scallops on board a vessel"

The season ends on February 14.

- NZPA