Scallop season: A golden opportunity

Scallop season once opened on 1 September in Coromandel. Today, the date is a stark reminder of what has been lost.

Decades of mismanagement, overallocation, and the destructive use of Victorian box dredges drove the Coromandel scallop fishery to collapse. It was only after sustained pressure from the local community, led by Ngāti Hei, that then Minister David Parker moved to close the fishery in 2022.

“While this intervention was the right thing to do, the outcome of closing the scallop fishery is that everyone loses - commercial operators, regional economies, local whānau, hapū, iwi and communities, and future generations of Kiwis. Said Joe Davis from Ngāti Hei.

Linda Bird, founder of the Whitianga Scallops Festival understands the economic impact firsthand. “Every year, thousands of people from around the country would travel to Whitianga to get a taste of Coromandel scallops," she says. "Without scallops, we no longer have this festival. The festival generated $1.3M in economic activity each year and without it local businesses have felt the squeeze.”

The plan

Now, a coalition of iwi, environmental groups, local associations, and industry experts has come together to promote a bold restorative management plan for the future of the Coromandel scallop fishery when (and only when) the scallop beds recover.

This approach aims to:

• Restore scallop populations;  
  End dredging and transition to hand-gathering only.
  Create new opportunities for sustainable aquaculture and regional economies.

Chairman of Opito Bay Ratepayer Association, Chris Severne is confident of a positive response to the plan from the community. “Everyone wins from a healthy scallop fishery. It’s promising to see a Plan that prioritises abundance for our future generations”.

Principles of the plan

Under this plan, the Government would invest in buying back scallop quota from current shareholders. When (and only when) the fishery recovers, new commercial permits would be issued. These would be tied to sustainable selective harvest methods such as hand gathering using breathing apparatus would be issued.

Revenue from these permits would be used to repay the cost to the government of acquiring the quota and fund ongoing research, monitoring and targeted fisheries management of Coromandel scallops. “The benefits of this plan are clear, we prioritise the health of the scallop populations and adopt an agile system where catch limits can be adjusted quickly in response to environmental monitoring, ensuring that scallop stocks are rebuilt and maintained at
abundant levels,” explains Sam Woolford, LegaSea project Lead.

The benefits

The principles of the plan prioritise rebuilding a healthy marine environment and ensure the Coromandel community benefits directly from the harvest of scallops from local waters.

 “As kaitiaki of our moana, we cannot allow destructive dredging to continue in our rohe moana. This plan restores the principle of kaitiakitanga [guardianship] and ensures that our mokopuna will be able to gather tipa [scallops] to feed their whanau," says Ngāti Hei spokesperson Joe Davis. “For local hapū and iwi it is about more than economics - it is about mana, tikanga, and the obligation to provide kaimoana for our people.”

Warren Maher, Councillor for Waikato Regional Council, believes that prioritising the health of the marine environment and making sure Kiwis are fed first is a win for this country. “This scallop restoration plan provides a pathway for the community to contribute to rebuilding scallop abundance, end wasteful bulk harvest methods, and create a thriving fishery that serves the people and the local economy.” 

The plan also facilitates a transition into scallop aquaculture, paving the way for new investment and year-round supply, supporting regional economies by creating new jobs in diving, aquaculture, and supply chains. Nigel Bradley from Envirostrat explains, “It will be harder to find private investors who will back high-value, sustainable farming while low-value, dredged scallops remain in the market. This plan prevails on common sense that supports a healthy fishery for our future generations.” 

Darrel Bird from Dive Zone Whitianga also supports the restoration plan, stating, “The shift from dredging to diver-based harvests and aquaculture is an economic opportunity for the Coromandel. We’re talking about supporting small operators and local businesses, and building a reputation for premium, hand-gathered kaimoana. That’s real value for our
regional economy”.

Looking forward

The scallop restoration plan represents a rare consensus: iwi, local communities, environmental advocates, and regional businesses all agree that scallop dredging must end, and that abundance, not bulk harvesting, must be the measure of success.

President of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council is on board too. “This is a golden opportunity to rebuild an iconic fishery on principles of sustainability, equity, and innovation. Together we can make scallops a symbol of what’s possible for New Zealand's coastal fisheries.”