On_Board_559_Decembe.. - Mana Cruising Club

seas reduced, a freshening northerly made its appearance and thesun came out. I was very pleased I was here, and not somewhereelse; it was all rather lovely.Nursing our injuries Alan and I stood watch and watch in fivehour stints. We read, prepared meals and watched the distantCanterbury coast slide by. The Autohelm steered the course asinstructed, the seabirds and dolphins paid visits and we had a jollynice time.Sunday 10th April: Through the night we sailed south. In themorning we sighted Shag Point, Matanaka and then the OtagoPeninsula’s hills of home. At 1230 Avanti entered Otago Harbourtwenty six hours after departing from Akaroa, and an hour laterwe berthed at our wharf at Careys Bay.My darling Margaret was there to greet us. As soon as the yachtwas secured we were whisked home and served a meal of spag bog.Yums! That’s what mariners like. Sadly our three month cruise wascompleted. We had sailed from Careys Bay on 3rd January 2011,cruised the Marlborough Sounds and through to Nelson, visitedTorrent Bay in the Abel Tasman National Park. Port Motueka andPort Mapua were very challenging to enter. On 22nd February,the Day of the second earthquake in Christchurch, we pickedup a mooring in Port Mapua against a 4.3kt tide which was adifficult exercise. Finally via the east coast we returned to CareysBay arriving on 10th April, covering a distance of 1500nm.I did get to Christchurch in time for the operation and my eye isprogressing satisfactorily.Continuing to sail Avanti, our steadfast companion for twentynine years, was a satisfying way for Margaret and I to spend thesethree months during the twilight years of our lives.See you next time.Bill McIndoeYacht Avanti(Editor’s Note: Bill and Margaret are in their 80’s and Bill is MCCPort Captain in Dunedin.)SCALLOP REGULATIONS IN MARLBOROUGH SOUNDSBach OwnersThere seems to be a misguided notion among some Marlborough Sounds residents and bach owners that they are somehow exempt fromaspects of the fisheries regulations relating to scallops. It appears an urban myth has been fostered for some years by those living in remoteareas of the Sounds where there is only access by sea, that they’re entitled to return to the mainland with shucked scallops provided theyare bagged and tagged with the time, date and place they were collected. Many understand they’re subject to a ‘special agreement’ with theMinistry of Fisheries providing them a loophole in the rules. This is wrong. There is no informal arrangement in place for the simple reasonMFish cannot establish rules for some people in some areas and not others. It sets a precedent that would make regulations open to challengeand therefore unenforceable.The rules clearly state that no person may possess seaward of the mean high-water mark any shellfish to which aminimum length restriction applies, in such a state that it cannot be measured. This means scallops must be landed in their shells.There is a sub clause in the regulations that prevents fishers shucking scallops at sea unless they are to be consumed on board. They canconsume their daily limit of scallops onboard their vessel, however any fish eaten must be deducted from their daily allowable limit. That is,you cannot eat 20 and then land another 50. Again the measurement rule is enforced by the rule that states No person may land from a fishingvessel any shellfish to which a minimum length restriction applies in such a state that it cannot be measured.Multiple Day Trips and Live AboardsThe same applies for vessels including those at sea for a number of days. There is no formal or informal arrangement that scallops canbe retained on board shucked and frozen/refrigerated provided they are bagged and tagged. On a multiple day trip you are permittedto accumulate catch from previous days and as always the onus is on the fisherman to provide evidence showing when they were caught.Traditionally plotter, log book, photographs have been sufficient. However, whatever you take must remain in their shell until landed unlesseating them as stated above. I realize this places restrictions on how long the scallops could reasonably be expected to be edible and thereforelimits your ability to take home several days catch which has been a practice in the past by many vessels.In reply to some of the questions I have been asked by the Mana Cruising Club and associated clubs of late:1. You can row to shore and shuck the scallops above the high water mark but any brought back to your vessel would have to be eaten.2. It is not sufficient evidence to keep the shells on the vessel as proof of size. The law is clear that the shellfish must remain in ameasurable state and landed in their shells.3. Once back on land – there is no requirement for the shellfish to remain whole. They may be transported by vehicle in a shucked state.4. A water taxi is subject to the same regulations as your own vessel.5. Technically the Interisland Ferry would also be subject to the same regulations but I think commonsense prevails there and I have no intentionat present of directing my staff to search vehicles boarding the Ferry for shucked scallops.Of course regulations can be changed by going through due process which means if enough people lobby and present a valid case for changethen there is a possibility modifications can be made. I know these answers aren’t what you were hoping for, but right now it’s a case of onerule for all. All scallops must be landed in their shell where they can be measured to meet the requirements of the law.Liz MurrayField Office SupervisorMFISH - Blenheim15