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Summarised by Centrist
Reports say long-time residents along Auckland’s Whangaparāoa Peninsula say local rock pools are being stripped of marine life.
“We have now got a surge in demand for our sea life. We not only see mum and dads, we also see busloads arriving at the beach, with buckets and tools… anything that lives, no matter the size, goes in the bucket.”
Similar reports have emerged along Auckland’s east and west coasts and elsewhere around the country. Residents describe organised groups removing thousands of organisms in a single day, often harvesting species not traditionally taken in New Zealand.
“If you have a group of ten, which is what we often see, between them they can take 500 starfish off one beach in a day… On a busy day at Army Bay, we may get anything between 100 and 200 gatherers.”
University of Auckland researcher Andrew Jeffs said New Zealand’s growing ethnic diversity has placed pressure on species.
“People have different tastes in what they like to eat and enjoy, and harvesting from the shore of fresh seafood material is something that they enjoy,” he said.
Local iwi have applied for a temporary ban on harvesting shellfish and seaweed along parts of Auckland’s eastern coastline, arguing population growth has made previous levels of take unsustainable.
“We’re at the state of deprivation,” said Ngāti Manuhiri chief executive Nicola MacDonald.
Officials acknowledge the issue but note that much of the harvesting remains legal under current recreational limits.
