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PAKU VIEWS
ISSUE 5 SPRING 2012
The scientific names of our legendary Paua
species are
Haliotis iris (
Black Foot),
Haliotis
australis (
Yellow Foot)
,
and
Haliotis virginea
(White Foot)
,
of the Haliotidae family and live
only in our coastal waters.
Names of mollusks from this same family differ between
countries and may be known by other names. In the west
the name abalone or sea-ear is most common. All are
ear-shaped with small holes near the outer edge of the
shell and live in coastal waters.
The Black Foot (the critter with a black foot) has a unique
deeply colored mother-of-pearl sink, or inner shell. The
Yellow Foot has a rounder shell with silvery rainbow tones
inside. The White Foot is also more silvery, with notable
ridges across the shell.
To resist extreme sea conditions, the foot adheres to
the rocks; the suction is so strong that a large knife is
needed to pry it loose, giving freediving harvesters quite
a workout.
The foot’s entire skirt is edged with small feathery
tentacles with which they feel their world. Paua eat algae
and microorganisms through a mouth (located near the
gills), that contains two rasp like front teeth for grinding
food. (See
Anatomy of Paua
right for more info.)
Paua usually spawn a few times at the end of summer
when water temperatures begin to drop. Males and
females release sperm and eggs through the holes in their
shells, known as
broadcast spawning
, with fertilisation
happening in open water. Clouds of sperm (as many as 7
million released per male) and eggs mingle, and eventually,
by chance collision, life ignites, and another paua begins
its journey.
The fertilised eggs hatch into microscopic larvae which
free-float for about a week then settle on the sea floor,
where most provide easy meals for other creatures,
especially starfish. The survivors develop small shells, and
begin their attached (though migrating) lives. So in spite
of the number of eggs produced, very few make it to your
dinner plate.
The small paua live in shallower waters, tucked under
sheltering rocks, but as they mature, will live in the cooler
waters around 10m. Paua grow to sexually mature adults
in 3-5 years and can live as long as 50 years. The biggest
threat are poachers, who can easily wipe out entire
colonies.
Paua are now being successfully farm grown, with some
specifically for the production of cultured “paua pearls”,
which do occur naturally although rarely.
Besides numbers and size restrictions on gathering paua,
rules state that people aren’t allowed to use scuba
equipment or other breathing apparatus when gathering
paua. You cannot even transport paua in boats or cars
carrying this equipment. Gathering is allowed by free
diving only.
For those in the central fisheries area, shell fish rules and
limits for paua include:
All paua have a 10 per day limit. Minimum keep sizes are:
Ordinary/Black foot (125mm) except in designated
Taranaki region (85mm), Yellow foot (80mm).
In addition, the maximum number or amount of paua
that one person can have in their possession at any one
time is 20 being two (2) times the maximum daily bag
limit of paua—or—shucked weight (shell removed) of
2.5kgs of paua.
Poachers are subject to fines and even confiscation of
boats, scuba gear and other equipment. If you suspect
someone of breaking the law, please call the Ministry’s
hotline at 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 243).
For shellfish regulations, see
Recreational/Fishery+Management+Areas/Central/
Shellfish.htm