A conservation group is calling for a total ban on collecting crayfish in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty as it fears the population is heading towards extinction
A conservation group is calling for a total ban on collecting crayfish in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty as it fears the population is heading towards extinction
16 December 2018
Forest & Bird is calling for the areas to be closed for three years to allow the species to start recovering.
It says the crayfish populations in the regions have undergone a significant decline.
Forest & Bird says without an urgent end to fishing pressure, crayfish could become functionally extinct throughout the entire area within a few years.
Minister of Fisheries Stuart Nash has already more than halved the total allowable catch from 416.5 tonnes to 173 tonnes, under new measures introduced in April.
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