The scallop fishery at the top of the South Island will remain closed for the 2018/19 season.
Photo: 123rf
Marlborough Sounds, Tasman Bay, Golden Bay and Port Underwood will continue to be closed to scallop fishing from 15 July, Fisheries said.
Most of the fishery has been closed since 2016.
Director of fisheries management Stuart Anderson said recent surveys have shown scallop numbers in the area were starting to increase.
But he said they still remained low and the beds cannot sustain harvesting.
"This ongoing closure provides an opportunity for the scallop beds to recover to allow a sustainable fishery in the future," Mr Anderson said.
The majority of the submissions received during consultation on the continued closure agreed with that plan of action.
"Submitters also agreed that when the fisheries re-open, significant changes will be needed to the fisheries management settings," Mr Anderson said.
Fisheries was also awaiting the outcome of research to find out more about the reasons for the declining numbers.
Large parts of the seabed were no longer suitable for scallops, and that could be due to increased sedimentation or disease.
The research findings should be known later this year and that would help inform future decision-making, Fisheries said.
