Hauraki Gulf Forum
Community shellfish monitoring
Shellfish monitoring provides an ecological health indicator for the beaches of the Hauraki Gulf. It also aims to increase environmental awareness and help the Ministry of Fisheries assess the effectiveness of the shellfish harvesting limits.
Annual surveys are carried out to count and measure the dominant kinds of shellfish, such as cockles and pipis, living in sheltered beaches, harbours and estuaries.
Annual surveys are carried out to count and measure the dominant kinds of shellfish, such as cockles and pipis, living in sheltered beaches, harbours and estuaries.
This work is co-ordinated through a steering group that reports to the Hauraki Gulf Forum which also includes representatives of the Ministry of Fisheries and tangata whenua.
Groups supported by the programme are provided with practical assistance and equipment to undertake annual shellfish surveys. Survey findings are entered into a database, reported to the community, and sent to the Ministry of Fisheries for analysis and to inform both their management and the Hauraki Gulf Forum, and every three years this information contributes to the State of the Environment Report.
Community Shellfish Monitoring - Current Survey Sites, 2011
| Beach | Location | Community organisation | Supporting organisation | Year community surveys started |
| Cheltenham Beach | Devonport, Auckland | Cheltenham Beach Caretakers | Independent | 1993 |
| Whangateau Harbour - Lews Bay | Rodney | Whangateau Harbour Care Group and Mahurangi College | Auckland Council | 2003 |
| Cockle Bay | Howick, Auckland | Howick College | Auckland Council (previously supported by DoC) | 2005 |
| Whangateau Harbour - Causeway | Rodney | Whangateau Harbour Care Group | Auckland Council | 2006 |
| Umupuia Beach | Franklin | Maraetai Beach School, Umupuia Marae Previously also supported by: Te Puru Sea Scouts, Pohutukawa Coast Community Association | Auckland Council | 2006 (survey on hold while rahui in place as requested by iwi) |
| Kawakawa Bay - West | Franklin | Clevedon School | Auckland Council | 2006 |
| Kawakawa Bay - East | Franklin | Edmund Hillary School Previously also supported by: Weka Watch and corporate volunteers | Auckland Council | 2006 |
| Okahu Bay | Auckland | Ngati Whatua | Auckland Council | 2007 |
| Whangapoua Harbour, | Great Barrier Island | Okiwa School, Kaitoki School, Mulberry Grove School | DoC | 2007 |
| Te Matuku Bay Marine Reserve | Waiheke Island | Waiheke Primary School Previously also supported by Te Huruhi School | DoC. Previously also supported by WWF | 2007 |
| Duder Regional Park | Franklin | Ecoquest Foundation | Auckland Council | 2008 |
| Beachlands (2 sites) | Franklin | Beachlands School | Auckland Council | 2008 |
| Whitianga Harbour | Coromandel | Mercury Bay School | Waikato Regional Council | 2008 |
| Ngaio Bay, Mahurangi Harbour | Rodney | Mahurangi College | Auckland Council through the Mahurangi Action Plan | 2008 |
| Pine Harbour - Green Bay | Franklin | Maraetai Beach School | Auckland Council | 2010 |
| Wharekawa Harbour | Opoutere, Coromandel | Ecoquest Foundation | Waikato Regional Council | 2010 |
| Whangateau Harbour - Horseshoe Island | Rodney | Whangateau Harbour Care Group and Mahurangi College | Auckland Council | 2011 |
Want to know more?
- Learn more about why we monitor shellfish, why shellfish are important and the threats to shellfish
Introduction to Shellfish Monitoring- Part 1 (1.0 MB PDF)
- Learn more about how to conduct a shellfish survey
Introduction to Shellfish Monitoring- Part 2 (1.3 MB PDF)
- Learn more about how to identify shellfish and other species you might find in a shellfish survey
Introduction to Shellfish Monitoring- Part 3 (1.4 MB PDF)Shellfish Identification Guide (1,020.8 KB PDF)Shellfish quick guide (496.3 KB PDF)
- Learn more about our coast.
Want to get involved?
A group of school children conducting a shellfish survey
To express interest in co-ordinating a community shellfish survey contact the Environmental Programmes Team at Auckland Council or in the Waikato region contact the Coastal Programme Manager, Resource Information Group, Waikato Regional Council.
Contact Auckland Council
Contact Waikato Regional Council
Schools
The survey programme is linked with the learning outcomes and unit standards of the NZ curriculum. Teacher resource kits have been developed for two levels - upper primary/intermediate (Levels 3-4), and Year 12 Biology (Level 7).
A Ministry of Fisheries permit is required to carry out a shellfish survey if more than the daily bag limit of cockles or pipi (50 per person) are sampled. Auckland Council and Waikato Regional Council have permits that cover community based monitoring carried out under their direction. Coordinator Guidelines have been produced so that staff from different Forum agencies will use a consistent methodology and approach. The provision of coordinator support for community surveys is subject to Forum member agency’s priorities and resourcing levels.
Ministry of Fisheries shellfish surveys
Community shellfish monitoring compliments the Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) inter-tidal shellfish surveys that have been carried out by scientists at selected locations within the Auckland Fishery Management Area since 1992. The MFish surveys use a more scientifically rigorous and complex sampling method than the community surveys. However due to funding limitations, the Mfish surveys are not repeated annually at all sites where there are known shellfish resources. The community shellfish monitoring therefore helps MFish by providing more frequent information and potentially earlier warning of intertidal shellfish depletions than is provided by their sampling alone. The community monitoring may also inform selection of sites to be sampled under MFish funded research in the future. . Community involvement helps to support the implementation and enforcement of management responses such as closures.
The latest MFish intertidal shellfish monitoring report is available from the Mfish online document library. For earlier reports email Richard.Ford@fish.govt.nz.
Hauraki Gulf Shellfish depletion report
In 2003 the Hauraki Gulf Forum commissioned a report entitled:
"A Review of Issues Related to Depletion of Populations of Selected Infaunal Bivalve Species in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park."
Why was this report commissioned?
The report was commissioned because of concerns about the perceived depletion of shellfish populations in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park (HGMP). The consultants were asked to:
- provide a reference bibliography relevant to factors potentially affecting bivalve populations in the HGMP
- provide a synthesis of current and expected near-future knowledge of factors potentially affecting bivalve populations in the HGMP
- identify gaps in our understanding of factors potentially affecting bivalve populations in the HGMP
- identify key research priorities where efforts are likely to be most cost-effective at identifying what is affecting bivalve populations in the HGMP.
Species of focus
The shellfish species of specific interest in this review include the cockle (Austrovenus stutchburyi), pipi (Paphies australis), tuatua (Paphies subtriangulata), and wedge shell (Macomona liliana).
The report:
