A group of people at the Army Bay rock pools. Photo: MARK LENTON / SUPPLIED
The government is making moves to stop people stripping rock pools of sealife in north Auckland.
On Saturday, more than 100 Whangaparāoa residents protested against what they say are busloads of people plucking out everything from crabs to sea cucumbers.
Local iwi Ngati Manuhiri is seeking a two-year ban on harvesting shellfish along the city's eastern coastline to allow marine life to recover.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones told Morning Report he's considering bans and an education campaign to stop the practice.
"It's grown into an issue that's certainly generated a lot of passion thanks to the local community," he said.
Jones said most of the people beach-combing were migrants, hence the need for an educational campaign.
He has sought urgent advice from Fisheries New Zealand on how to respond to over-harvesting at the site, which was currently being prepared. He said a rāhui, a temporary ban on access, could be enforced by the state.
"We need to ensure that when we introduce these prohibited measures, that not only are they going to be effective, but we don't create too many unwanted consequences because this particular problem is attributable to unvetted immigration," Jones said.
In a statement, the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust said it was encouraging that the government was seeking urgent advice on unsustainable harvesting across the Whangaparāoa Peninsula and other areas.
Ngāti Manuhiri chief executive Nicola Rata-MacDonald said that while most people harvesting were doing so legally, continuing to harvest kaimoana and other intertidal species at current rates would cause widespread ecological decline.
"This is a welcome step to safeguard the future of our moana for the benefit of all.
"The Trust maintains that the current level of shellfish and seaweed harvesting is unsustainable. While recent data shows recreational compliance at 93 percent, the sheer volume of daily harvesting under outdated rules is depleting the rock pools at an alarming rate.
"We are encouraged to see this matter afforded urgency, as proactive measures can have a significant impact on safeguarding the long-term sustainability of these taonga species."
The minister was expected to make a decision next month on the iwi's application for a two-year ban under section 186A of the Fisheries Act.
Rata-MacDonald said that the coastal ecosystems held "deep cultural, spiritual, and customary significance" for Ngāti Manuhiri, and their application was part of a broader tikanga-led strategy to protect and restore intertidal ecosystems.
University of Auckland marine biologist Andrew Jeffs earlier told RNZ as the country had become more ethnically diverse, it had put pressure on species that were not always harvested here.
"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.
"It's about managing that activity so it doesn't damage the environment, and whoever, whether it's the community or government, needs to work with those people to make it possible for them to have some of that enjoyment, but without damaging the environment."
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