January 2025 - 232 - The Fishing Paper and Hunting News by The Fishing Paper

The boar travelled to the farm under cover of darkness, the three-quarter moon shadowing him as he went. A spur-winged plover tried to draw him away from its mate, which lay low and silent over a nest of eggs, but he was not so easily fooled.

The nocturnal omnivore’s snout led him to the shallow nest and speckled eggs – an easy entréewhich he would follow with a main course of unearthed worms and a dessert of cropped clover.

Stomach tight, the boar began the journey home to his bed high upon the hill. Along the way he detoured, picking over an old deer carcass for a maggot or two, nosing amongst the radiata roots then sucking his ﬁll of creek water. Then, as the moon dropped towards the West, he jogged home, eager to be bedded well before dawn.

He was not an old boar. Nor was he a big boar. The product of a blue boar over a blue sow, at ﬁrst glance he appeared pure white, but he was a silvery shade of grey.

Hunters had killed his mother and then whittled away his litter mates one by one. For two years he had learned from every encounter, surviving into maturity with nothing more than a split ear, a scarred scrotum and a cunning beyond his years.

Every morning, he travelled home via a di erent and meandering route. He slept with one eye open, and his running shoes laced tight. Up here he could hear every vehicle approach, those which stopped and clanged the gate made him sit up. Those which opened noisy alloy dog box doors made him begin to hyperventilate. One whi of canine urine or human breath made him start jogging towards safer territory. Her – she’d travelled from down the road, aware the three-quarter moon would’ve enabled the porcine marauder to roam and feast far

Shades of Grey

aﬁeld – at the farmer’s request, she’d come seeking him, a pasture rooter.

The product of a hunter father over a hunter mother, at ﬁrst glance her hair appeared pure white, but it was a distinguished shade of grey. She was an old hunter. She was not a big hunter, though, like the boar, her stomach was tight after many a dessert and snack foraged whilst meandering from pantry to parlour.

She too had taken learnings from every hunting encounter, decade upon decade of boar encounters alongside her canine buddies. Hence, she was careful not to clang the forest gate and she did not bang the dog box door. Like her quarry she ghosted silently and with all senses on alert.

Kim Swan

Pearl’s son Nugget caught a whi of pork upon a southerly swirl. Honest and hardworking he covered a lot of ground, but he did not ﬁnd the source of the scent. Later, when he persisted, he found a ground scent, which he tracked at speed, but in his haste, he lost the lead amongst the boar’s zigs and zags.

Once again it appeared the boar’s instinctive ability to mislead any who attempted to follow him home may have saved his bacon.

She of the grey hair and she of the grey muzzle had quietly observed Nugget’s comings and goings and eventually, when all had seemed lost, old Pearl seemed to say to her son - “boy, follow me and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Pearl tracked carefully, climbing

Pearl was one of the hunter’s canine buddies. An elderly bitch well past her prime – she had become grizzled with age, she looked pure white, but her face was a subtle shade of grey. Scarred after many a boar battle and with more than a decade of experience, she had earned the right to ghost along behind, leaving the speed work to her son.

ever higher, zigging and zagging with Nugget patiently tagging along. The tracker in my hand relayed their story, every contour line accrued, every tangle of scent trails unravelled – her collar relaying a pink trail, his a red one. Then, with them so high, and

me so low, there began long fast sidling runs with random haltshere the pink line and the red line intertwined before balling tight. Up there, the sound blown away by the southerly wind, mother and son struggled to gain ascendency over the silvery boar. They were cautious of his wicked sharp tusks, and time and again he broke their grip. He fought hard then ran hard, knowing his life depended upon his speed and the intimate knowledge of his forest territory.

Though the boar was supremely ﬁt, Pearl persisted doggedly and never let him slip away. He could outrun her, but he could not outsmart her. With her son in support, they bested him at every turn, until, eventually, he made a critical mistake.

When the tracker indicated a solid catch, I hurried towards the holding dogs, knowing full well the pair would be exhausted and prone to injury.

I ran awkwardly, limping and stumbling and panting. On arrival I crawled on hands and knees along the newly formed blackberry tunnel - smears of blood and tufts of hair adorned the blackberry barbs – pig, dog and human hair all now represented.

Reunited at last, we wrestled as one being – getting battered amongst the rocks, gouges and bruises befalling us all.

Eventually the strenuous wrestle ceased, and we all lay side by side in yon shaded glen. When the adrenalin ebbed, and the pain and fatigue kicked in, two of us were reminded we were well past our best years. To both sport our shades of grey, yet still win at this most physical of games, how blessed are we.

Finally Cracked it

Despite not sleeping, I managed to miss my 6.00am launch and it ended up more like 6.45am. In my defence, some of the extra time was debating whether I head out at all given the conditions.

Of course, I did. I needed an entry to put in my ﬁrst ﬁshing logbook

Strong headwinds, plenty of swell, chop and slop – what could possibly go wrong?

I conﬁdently declared to the grandkids I would head out, grab a ﬁsh and be in by 9.00am and o I went.

After a slow, lumpy paddle out, I discovered one of my rods was in fact Tivies’ and, one of my own rods had no leash. I knew there and then this was going to be tough. Add to the fact I am probably the untidiest ﬁsher I know and there’s a real chance of spectacular failure.

I did attempt to fish two lines, one Kaveman Tackle Kabura and one micro jig but decided to bring the jig in – two fish on is fine in good conditions – but this day, two would be asking for trouble. My Kabura seemed hellbent on heading halfway to Taupo or I know

Yolande Jeffares - "That Kayak Fishing Chick"

not where, so, I decided to wind in and do another drop to get a better gauge of where it was sitting. Down it went and a ton of line after it before it ﬁnally hit the bottom. Me none the wiser as to where, so I wound in some line in the hope it would sit better.

It couldn’t sit anywhere! I had a hook up and it had some real grunt. I was quite sure I was losing the battle. Between the tug of war, trying to keep my paddle blade from slicing into the swell and trying to prevent my ﬁsh from tilting me nose down into the water, I momentarily contemplated my demise.

“What a way to go, focus woman, you have a ﬁsh to ﬁght,” I said to myself.

It seemed like it took forever to get it up – my poor wee Shimano Genpu has a very tough life!

Hauling the fish onto the kayak left me low on one side and sitting high on the other, half expecting a wave to flip me out. It didn’t and I got my fish, a snapper, in and there was no way I was going to tempt fate by trying to hoist it into the rear well. Instead, I looped a rod leash through the gills, wedged it in the footwell – one leg sticking out over it. Less than an hour on the

water and I was done ﬁshing for the day.

I headed on into the washing machine, tsunami hybrid, lopsided – leg stretched out over the water – stopping to ask the occasional boatie if they knew if the tide was incoming or outgoing in the hope I would plan my landing well. It

didn’t occur to me I may have looked more than a little odd. The trip in, well I am surprised a snail didn’t overtake me, but I got there, my landing about as elegant as me posing, jello arms, rod in mouth with my 825mm PB and ﬁrst ever pin ﬁsh.

Creek Bed Stag

As the dawn broke, the cool, crisp air of the early morning ﬁlled my lungs. I had an overseas trip to Scotland looming in just a few days, and knew I had to squeeze in one last hunt before heading out. The call of the wild was too strong to ignore, and I wanted a ﬁnal adventure before the trip, with my faithful dog, Frankie, by my side. The peaceful solitude of the New Zealand backcountry always seemed to calm my spirit before a journey, and today was no exception.

I awoke at 5.00am, the house still blanketed in darkness and fuelled myself with a hearty breakfast. After packing my gear, I loaded up Frankie and set out for my favourite hunting spot, a quiet creek bed nestled in the hills. The morning sky was clear, promising good weather, though the bite of the cold hinted at the coming of winter. As I parked and geared up, Frankie’s excitement was palpable. This was our domain, where the rhythm of the wild synced with our own.

We began the slow, deliberate climb up the creek, a familiar route I had traversed many times before. Every 50 metres, I would pause, surveying the area with my Pulsar hand-held thermal, hoping for a

Malcolm Halstead

glimpse of movement. The ﬁrst 500 metres passed without a sign – not unexpected in these quiet, early hours. The silence of the forest was comforting, the only sounds being the soft crunch of my boots and Frankie’s eager steps beside me. It wasn’t until we climbed onto a terrace above the creek things

began to shift. As I scanned the ground, the fresh deer prints were unmistakable, etched into the damp earth. My heart quickened – this could be the opportunity I had been waiting for.

I raised my thermal once again and spotted a heat source ﬂickering through the dense scrub ahead.

Clubs and Ranges Submissions

In November I was invited to give an oral submission to back up my written one for the Clubs and Ranges submission. Basically, Clubs rely on Police to do their job of vetting people when giving out a licence, doing so is a vouch of good standing. Clubs need time to do that though, as we can only work with what we see on club days.

So, what has a Club done wrong?

Not a damn thing. Delve into the history of shooting clubs all over the country, and they have all done well for a very long time with very little help other than from national bodies like Pistol NZ and NZDA.

Look at injuries on ranges, yes, there have been a few, but then look at the number of days people visit and shoot. Pistol NZ is 90,000+ per year and I don’t believe there is another sport can match attendance the same as shooting Clubs have. No other group of people get this dictatorship, where it is implied without police oversight it would

Slowly, I crept forward, each step deliberate, every rustle of the foliage seeming louder than it should. As I moved through the last patch of scrub, there he was – an eight-point red stag, his antlers catching the soft light of the morning as he walked up the creek, oblivious to my presence. With steady hands, I rested my Sako riﬂe on a nearby tree, taking careful aim. The world around me seemed to pause for a moment before I squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out and the stag dropped instantly. Frankie bolted forward, barking excitedly as if to congratulate me on our shared success.

After a moment of quiet reﬂection, I approached the stag and began the task of boning out the meat. It was a satisfying end to the hunt, one that would provide for my family and remind me of the beauty of these wild moments. With the work done, Frankie and I enjoyed a leisurely 30-minute stroll back to the Hilux, the weight of the meat resting comfortably in my pack.

As I drove home, the satisfaction of a successful hunt ﬁlled me with a quiet contentment. My hunting ﬁx had been met, and with Scotland on the horizon, I could rest easy, knowing the wild would be waiting for me when I returned.

be dangerous for the public. That’s crap! NZTA doesn’t tell car Clubs how to run their racetracks and does anyone check private mountain bike tracks, look at the accidents they have.

Another line that pissed me o is saying if Clubs were selling ammunition and didn’t report all sales to Police, then Gangs could just buy it from them. I ﬁnd this personally o ensive. I even said as much during my submission. A clumsy attempt to install fear in the public, but without evidence this has ever happened just a shameful

comment from the desperate. Visit a Club and range and see for yourself how safe they are. The Clubs are run by volunteers, who have always been professional about their sport and have years of experience. Let us get back to doing what we know better than any government department will ever know. I’m all for ﬁrearm safety, but for all the requirements and changes, nothing’s changed except it is a damn sight harder for those running our Clubs and that’s not productive or helpful, and what doesn’t help, hinders.

PISTOL SHOOTING

Brian Bishop

Keep an eye out for seabirds this summer

When you’re out on the water over the summer, particularly if you’re ﬁshing from a boat, there’s a very good chance of catching the attention of hungry seabirds.

Much like us, there are more seabirds ﬁshing for a feed at this time of the year, and the last thing you want do is accidentally hook one.

Seabirds are nature’s fish finders –they’ll give you a good indication of where the fish are, making them a fisher’s best mate, but if they end up on your hook it can ruin a perfectly good fishing trip.

If a seabird gets too close and ends up on your line, do you know what to do?

With around 145 seabird species, including many albatrosses and petrels, calling New Zealand’s waters home we have one of the most diverse seabird communities in the world, and we want to make sure it stays that way.

While there are many threats to seabirds, the key threats are being accidentally caught in ﬁsheries, invasive predators, disease, pollution, and an ever-changing climate.

As a ﬁsher, you play an important part in keeping seabirds safe when you’re ﬁshing. The best way is to take every step possible to avoid them. If you do accidentally catch a seabird what you do next makes a huge di erence.

Keep an eye on any seabirds that are hanging around your boat. Our feathered friends have excellent eyesight and sense of smell so they’ll certainly ﬁgure out where you are and will be keen to swoop in for an e ortless feed from your line.

So, when you’re out ﬁshing, remember to take steps to e ectively avoid catching seabirds and keep track of all your ﬁshing gear to ensure nothing is left behind. Anything you leave could harm seabirds or other marine life.

Most New Zealand seabirds are protected by law and it’s an o ence to deliberately harm them. It’s not illegal to accidentally capture a protected seabird, but if you do you must report it to the Department of Conservation (0800 DOC HOT –0800 362 468).

What should you do if you accidentally catch a seabird?

• The most important thing is to handle them very carefully. It’s much like handling an undersized ﬁsh – the way you treat a hooked seabird will make a big di erence to its survival.

• Gently capture the bird in a landing net and get it onto your boat,

• Wrap it in a towel and hold its feet ﬁrmly,

• Hold its beak but take care not to cover the nostrils,

• Cut the line from the hook, and use small pliers to ﬂatten the hook or cut it with bolt cutters, then pull the hook out,

• If the hook is swallowed, cut the line so there’s nothing left to get tangles on things, and

• Release the bird at water level.

More information can be found in Fisheries New Zealand’s Responsible Fishing Guidelines: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/ dmsdocument/17668/direct

to avoid these birds.

• Diving birds like gannets and terns work boil ups (a school of ﬁsh). Fishing around the sides and rear of the boil up minimises the chance of entangling them.

• Shags are attracted to small ﬁsh and live bait. Using larger live baits will deter them. You may want to move on if you’re catching small ﬁsh anyway.

• Seagulls are attracted to used or fresh bait. Cover your bait, and don’t leave unattended baited rods in the rod holders.

Spreading the word for Southern Seabirds

At this time last year, Ann Ward from Southern Seabirds Trust was out and about in the Whitianga area talking to ﬁshers about safe handing of seabirds. The good news is she’s

How can you avoid seabirds altogether?

We know that ﬁshers don’t go out to catch seabirds, so here’s a few pointers to help you actively avoid them:

• Petrels and shearwaters follow boats and attack baits above and under the water. Sink bait fast and berley deep

Emma Taylor

doing it all again this summer! So, keep an eye out for Ann and stop by to say kia ora. She’ll have some pamphlets and other material on hand about seabird safety for ﬁshers. Ann’s also keen to hear about your experiences with seabirds when you’ve been out ﬁshing.

At Fisheries New Zealand, we’re proud to be supporting this important work – which you can ﬁnd out more about on the Southern Seabird Trust’s website: www.catchﬁshnotbirds.nz

Emma Taylor is Fisheries New Zealand’s Director Fisheries Management

Ann Ward spreading the word about seabird safety for Southern Seabirds Trust this summer.

Have your say on catch limits for rock lobster

Fisheries New Zealand is seeking feedback on proposals for catch limit changes for highly valued rock lobster and Pacific bluefin tuna stocks as part of the next fisheries sustainability review.

The fisheries being reviewed are spiny red rock lobster in the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel, and Bay of Plenty (CRA 2), Otago (CRA 7), and Pacific bluefin tuna for all of New Zealand (TOR 1).

The proposals for rock lobster in CRA 2 reﬂect the fact that while the overall stock is increasing, there’s low numbers in some areas and the associated issue of kina barrens.

The proposed changes look to strike the right balance with a mix of moderate increases in the wider CRA 2 ﬁshery, and a closure of the inner Hauraki Gulf to address concerns about localised depletion.

Information for CRA 7 also indicates the fishery can sustainably support a higher catch limit, which is reflected in the proposed catch limit adjustment for this fishery.

The proposal for Pacific bluefin tuna is to raise the catch limit in response to increasing levels of abundance in recent years. This has been reviewed and endorsed by other member countries of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

The consultation is open now and will run until 29 January 2025.

More information, including how to make a submission can be found on the Ministry for Primary Industries website: https://www. mpi.govt.nz/consultations/

group with 460 taken from Kaikoura

Fishery O cers this week (9 December) caught a group of people who had taken 460 pāua from a closed area on the south coast of Kaikoura.

“The recreational pāua ﬁshery is closed for the season, so taking pāua is prohibited. Our Fishery O cers responded to a call on our poacher phone line,” says Fisheries New Zealand District Manager Marlborough and Canterbury, Stuart Moore.

“To make matters worse, the three divers refused to allow us to inspect their catch. One of the three had a knife on his belt, placed his hand on it and said they were leaving with the pāua.

“Our Fishery O cers work hard to protect our shared ﬁsheries and will not be intimidated by this sort of behaviour.

“With the assistance of New Zealand Police, we stopped the three people the following day in the Amberley area and found

IT’S TEST DRIVE TIME!

460 pāua – many undersize – in their vehicles. Their vehicles, dive gear and all pāua were seized and serious charges are likely under the Fisheries Act.

“The community has zero tolerance for poaching and neither do we. We’re grateful to our colleagues at Police for their backup and support. The rules are there for a reason and when we ﬁnd evidence of them being broken – we take action,” says Stuart Moore.

MPI encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry's 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 47 62 24)

Baiting Trout Coastlines

Ivan Wilson

Each year around whitebaiting season, at least once, I like to take some streamer flies for a swim down in the lower reaches of our rivers and quite often its the Grey. Trout seem to know very well what ‘bait looks like, so a pattern similar to the species often does the trick. Normally I wait till the season ends so I don’t engender the wrath of those looking to capture a shoal. Mind you some of them quite like the idea of an angler coming along when there’s a fish or two tearing into the whitebait and breaking up the precious shoals. “Yeah I’ll be pleased if you can get rid of it for me” is something I’ve heard from time to time, but mostly I steer clear and head above the back marker, beyond which no whitebaiting is allowed, before casting a suitable pattern into the tidal influenced water.

At this time of year I frequently recall the 1970s when on my Wife’s parent’s farm in Southland. Their land backed onto a massive estuary fed by 2 rivers with both holding trout and both having whitebait making their way upstream each Spring. It was a fascinating experience of an evening, when the push of the tide inundated the stands of reeds to provide a hiding place for healthy looking trout to await a shoal and then ambush them with a splashy swirl as they wriggled by. Until that moment the trout sat motionless in the shallow water, with the only movement

being their dorsal fin waving ever so slightly in the breath of the light evening air. At that stage I was still doing some threadlining and was fond of a small silver ‘ticer, but the fish were too darn easy to catch when they were on the lookout for whitebait. It seemed to be rather unsporting so I’d just go down to watch the action as an interested bystander, rather than “shoot fish in a barrel.”

These days we enjoy life on The West Coast but when chasing trout that are chasing whitebait, sometimes things don’t go entirely as planned. One time I was at the mouth of the Taramakau river when I saw a flurry of bait rippling the water, followed by what I thought was a sizeable trout. Aha says I, this’ll be easy as I flicked a lure out in the general direction. The fishing gods felt it was time for a giggle at my expense as the large fish suddenly struck. The battle was a good one - around the estuary, out through the mouth, south along the coastline a ways and then I managed to hold it’s flight a bit o - shore. I worked it closer and closer until I caught the first glimpse of this weighty number as it fell o the face of a wave, landing on the sand of the steeply sloping beach. Without a second thought, I rushed down to the fish, grabbing it a millisecond before the gaping maw of a giant wave crashed down and closed over me. It was a very close thing, but then I registered it was not a trout but a 6 pound kahawai and as the rueful plod up the beach continued I’m sure I

could hear snatches of maniacal laughter from the mischievious deities. Oh well it was good protein so I took it back home, bunged it in the oven to bake it for dinner, ﬁlling the place with a very strong smell of ﬁsh, much to the “delight” of my Wife when she arrived home from work. Naturally she didn’t want to eat it and perhaps the less said about that episode the better, as she made me write a retraction in Coastlines on another occasion after I’d transgressed in some perceived fashion. Her Mother said on our wedding day almost half a century ago “It won’t be dull Ivan.” She was right!

Back to whitebait and trout –most all of the rivers have action for anglers when the ‘bait arrives to course upstream and another location that has a large estuary ﬂowing to the ocean is Okarito.

Us local lads have gone there whitebaiting but have also targeted trout with success. Of course bait doesn’t stop just because the season closes, in fact a common complaint is that they run in great numbers after the end of the season. They appear to be present for a large amount of the year and one time we were in Okarito, ostensibly after salmon, when I took a very nice 5- 6 pounder only a few metres upstream from where the water ﬂowed into the sea.

The outcome of this year’s baiting of the trout on the Grey river with an appropriate Grey Ghost, was a couple of trout which were not large, but in quite nice condition. That’ll do me for now I thought – back into the boat for some ﬂoating stalks around lake margins next, but that’ll be another story for another day.

Optically Speaking January 2025

Enhanced accuracy with the Pulsar

Pulsar’s Stream Vision Ballistics App provides your Pulsar thermal riﬂescope with valuable trajectory data to enable accurate hold-over by way of an aiming point on the reticle.

Placing an accurate shot at various distances is a fundamental shooting skill that requires an understanding of projectile trajectory, target distance and the most di cult to calculate, cross wind. Inclination (height above or below Target) is another important consideration, while factors such as air temperature and humidity have a lesser e ect. The slower the projectile moves, the steeper is its trajectory and holdover (or under) becomes more important. For instance, shooting rabbits with a subsonic.22LR sighted-in for 50m, requires expediently higher holdover for longer distances. While the bullet has su cient power to kill a rabbit at a considerably further distance, knowing where to aim is critical for success.

Introducing Pulsar Stream Vision Ballistic App.

Though this app can be used as a stand-alone ballistic calculator for use with any riflescope, its greatest benefit is when used with a Pulsar thermal riflescope. After setting up a ballistic profile for your rifle and ammunition, the information is saved into the thermal sight where it is used to move an aiming mark up and down the reticle with remarkable accuracy.

Pulsar thermal riﬂescopes with an inbuilt laser rangeﬁnder, such as the Pulsar Trail LRF and Pulsar Thermion LRF, simply require ranging the target to indicate pointof-impact. This is by way of a small cross or line, that is clearly visible on the reticle. Ranging targets at di erent distances, as well as when shooting up or downhill, moves the aiming mark to the correct position.

Pulsar thermal riflescope not fitted with a laser rangefinder, such as the Pulsar Trail, Pulsar Thermion and Pulsar Talion, requires the use of an optical or thermal laser rangefinder. Once the target distance is known, it is dialed into the scope, which moves the aiming mark to the correct position on the reticle. Though not as quick or e cient as a LRF scope, it still works very well.

Ant Corke

Stream Vision Ballistic App

The Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF links the laser range ﬁnder with the Ballistic App to move the point-of-impact indicator for correct holdover.

A non LRF scope, such as the Pulsar Talion, requires manual distance input by way of its navigation dial to provide correct hold-over.

The how to

It’s not my intention to provide a step-by-step guide for setting up and using Stream Vision Ballistics in this article, but to make readers aware of the outstanding beneﬁts that this free app o ers.

There are How-To videos on the Advanced Optics website that explain set-up in detail.

This is a brief breakdown of the steps required to use the Pulsar Stream Vision Ballistic App.

• Ensure that your thermal optic has the latest Firmware installed. If not, you can do this via Stream Vision 2, (informative video available on Advanced Optics website).

• Download the Stream Vision Ballistics App from Google Play or Apple Store to your phone or tablet and open the App.

The accuracy of the information that you use when setting-up Stream Vision Ballistics is important for ensuring correct projectile trajectory. If you own or have access to a Ballistic Chronograph, this will provide definitive muzzle velocity. Another alternative is to use manufacturer’s ballistic information for factory ammunition. Bear in mind that these figures are based on a 24” barrel, so shorter barrels will develop less velocity which should be taken into consideration. I have seen figures of approximately 25fps – 50fps less per inch. To be honest, it is probably not going to make much di erence on a centrefire at sensible shooting distance. Bear in mind that at longer ranges, slight crosswinds would have a greater e ect on accuracy. Limit your maximum shooting distance to ensure a clean kill.

• Input the required information into the App, such as height of scope above barrel, ammunition type and velocity, zero distance etc. Save and name the proﬁle.

• Turn on your Pulsar thermal riflescope, connect to your phone in the App. and download the ballistic profile to your riflescope.

• Select the named profile in your riflescope. You can store several profiles for di erent ammunition.

Keep looking out for more Stream Vision Ballistic App and related articles in The Fishing Paper and Hunting News or visit www. advancedoptics.nz

The point-of-impact indicator moves up and down the reticle according to the target distance.

HUNT LIKE A PRO

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Stay safe from biotoxins this summer

Summer’s back and Kiwis are heading to the beach for sun, fun and kaimoana – but algal blooms are back too, and they can bring dangerous biotoxins with them.

Algal blooms are made up of naturally occurring phytoplankton. Just like plants, phytoplankton use sunshine and nutrients (from the water) to grow. If conditions are right, phytoplankton can multiply to high numbers and form algal blooms. Most species of phytoplankton are harmless, but some can naturally produce highly toxic chemicals called marine biotoxins.

Bivalve shellfish filter out phytoplankton and other particles from the water as a food source. If these algae are toxic, biotoxins can build up in the shellfish, making them poisonous.

“These toxins can cause serious illness or even be fatal, so you should avoid eating shellﬁsh from any area where we have issued a warning,” says New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) deputy directorgeneral Vincent Arbuckle.

To help prevent people getting ill from eating shellfish containing these biotoxins, NZFS monitors 40 recreational harvesting areas around the country. Water and shellfish are tested weekly or fortnightly for algae or biotoxins respectively. The commercial shellfish industry also provides their own biotoxin monitoring data from more than 30 sites, giving even greater coverage.

If shellﬁsh are found to contain biotoxins at unsafe levels, NZFS issues public health warnings and posts signs at a ected beaches.

“To make sure you know what the current biotoxin warnings are, check our website, subscribe to our alerts, or download our free NZ Fishing Rules App.”

Algal blooms die o once the phytoplankton run out of nutrients or conditions change, such as a water temperature dropping or a storm disturbing the water column. Once the bloom disappears, shellﬁsh naturally cleanse themselves of the toxin. This may take a few weeks or months, depending on the type of shellﬁsh.

Shellﬁsh a ected by biotoxins usually include bivalves like mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles and scallops. But pūpū (cat’s eyes) and Cook’s turban can also have elevated levels of some biotoxins. Kina are still safe to eat.

“It’s important to know that cooking will not make toxic shellﬁsh safe to eat, because cooking doesn’t destroy biotoxins,” says Mr Arbuckle.

Generally, you can still eat pāua, crab and crayﬁsh, but only if you remove the gut before cooking, as biotoxins accumulate in the gut. Finﬁsh are not a ected by biotoxins from algal blooms, but NZFS advises discarding the liver before cooking.

“If anyone becomes ill after eating shellﬁsh, phone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. We advise that you also contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellﬁsh for testing.

“Keep yourself and your whānau safe this summer – don’t collect or eat shellﬁsh from areas where we’ve issued a biotoxin warning.”

Check before you collect:

• Subscribe to shellﬁsh biotoxin alerts at https://www.mpi.govt.nz/ news/subscribe-to-mpi/

• See the current warnings here: www.mpi.govt.nz/shellﬁsh

• Download and check the NZ Fishing Rules App www.mpi.govt. nz/rules

• Look out for signage at your local beach.

A New Zealand Food Safety toxic shellﬁsh warning sign at Papamoa Beach

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