Shellfish

How to measure shellfish

Paua: Measure the greatest length of the shell in a straight line. Do not measure over the curve of the shell.

Scallops: Measure the greatest diameter of the shell.

Dredge Oysters: Must not pass through a rigid circular metal ring with an inside diameter of 58 mm.

Underwater Breathing Apparatus (UBA)

(Does not include snorkels)

• No person may take paua using UBA.
• No person may be in possession of paua while in possession of UBA. This includes possession in or on any vessel or vehicle.

Open seasons

Oysters: There is no season restricting the taking of oysters. They can be taken all year round. However, oysters may not be taken from a small number of designated Māori reserves in the Northland and Waikato Region. Contact the Ministry of Fisheries for the exact locations of these reserves.

Scallops: the open season is 1 September to 31 March inclusive. Specific area closures may apply, please contact your local MFish office for details.

Protection of Coral

Black Coral: no person may take or possess black coral.

Paua Accumulation Limits

The maximum number or amount of paua that one person can have in their possession at any one time is:

• 20 paua being two times the maximum daily bag limit of paua: or
• Shucked weight (shell removed ) of 2.5 kgs of paua

Shellfish species	Daily limit per person	Auckland Coromandel area daily limit per person	Minimum size (mm)
Cockle	150	50	none
Crab	50	50	none
Kina (sea eggs)	50	50	none
Mussels	50	25	none
Oysters - Dredge* + - Rock & Pacific†	50 250	50 100	58 none
Paua - Ordinary* - Yellow foot*	10 10	10 10	125 80
Pipi	150	50	none
Scallops - Central* +	20	20	100
Toheroa #	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
Tuatua	150	50	none
All Others • (combined)	50	50	none

* Dredge oyster, paua and scallop must be landed in the shell and cannot be shucked or shelled seaward of the mean high water mark. This does not include dredge oysters and scallopsshucked onboard for consumption while at sea within daily bag limits.

† Rock and Pacific oysters must not be opened while they adhere to the object on which they grow

+ Divers may take additional quota for up to a maximum of 2 safety people per vessel.

# Toheroa must not be taken, possessed, or disturbed unless an open season is declared by the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Fisheries.

• This is a combined, mixed-species bag limit. It applies to all shellfish species not specifically named above and includes paddle crabs.

Recreational shellfish daily bag limits in the Auckland Coromandel area apply in the highlighted area depicted. This area extends on the east coast from Cape Rodney around the Coromandel Peninsula to Homunga Point (northern end of Waihi beach) and on the west coast from Okiritoto River (Muriwai Beach) to the sand-spit at Port Waikato.

Recreational shellfish daily bag limits in the Auckland Coromandel area apply in the highlighted area depicted. This area extends on the east coast from Cape Rodney around the Coromandel Peninsula to Homunga Point (northern end of Waihi beach) and on the west coast from Okiritoto River (Muriwai Beach) to the sand-spit at Port Waikato.