Wow the BOP sure has amazing Tuatuas - last weekend my partner and I collected 150 each on the main beach at the Mount. It was too easy, we only had to go in to our ankles at low tide. I was so impressed.
We made the most amazing chowder.
In Ak there is pretty much NO places left and the quota is 50 per person. VERY SAD!

What else can I forage from our beautiful country?

Here is an interesting article and map of places to forage fruit.

[www.stuff.co.nz]
The Map
[www.google.com]

Vanessa

We are only permitted to collect 50 Tuatuas each on our Orewa beach, but they have mostly been foraged out now from overly zealous foraging by non locals.

We are only permitted to collect 50 Tuatuas each on our Orewa beach, but they have mostly been foraged out now from overly zealous foraging by non locals. Seven years ago we could go down at low tide and collect our quota and 100 Tuatuas between two people was quite sufficient for a nice meal.If you collected 300 Tuatuas in total for two people and think that is just great then no wonder we have been stripped of our shell life and like us on our beach can no longer gather any worth keeping.

Why was the rest of my reply to Vanessa blocked and not included?

Three hundred Tuatuas is a huge amount for two people to collect between them and expect our shores to keep offering more. No wonder our shores are being stripped if people think it's fine to do so. Our beach is now barren of shell life where once not long ago was abundant.

To my mind this isn't "foraging" it's "gathering". Foraging to me means things like mushrooms, berries, greens. Shellfish is collected or gathered. Weird I know. I don't do shellfish so not a concern for me, but I understand Kone's concerns around sustainability.

I do understand Kone's concern too. Vanessa45 and her partner are legally allowed to collect 150 each from the BOP beach.
However, unless the law is changed, before long there won't be any left either for this generation or for generations to come.

My Dad was a great hunter, gatherer in times when families struggled and I grew up learning that " you only take what you need" and that following this premise, there would always be enough for everybody in the years ahead .

I wish that everyone could have followed such wise words because our fish stock is now sadly depleted.

Beverley

Funnily enough my partner works for the Ministry of Primary Industries in the fisheries area and he is well aware of the quotas and made us count each Tua Tua and throw any extra back. Whilst 150 sounds like a lot, we dont do it very often (in fact neither of us had done it before) and from what I can see its not a popular thing to do on that particular beach.
We used some for bait for a fishing trip and some for eating.

Obviously in that particular area, they are plentiful and not in demand by gatherers hence the quota is 150.

Im guessing in Ak and surrounds people have abused the quota, collected regularly and as we have so many more people its depleted the stocks.

At the moment, from what I observed, the Tua Tua population in the Mount is strong and not in demand hence no issues.

Vanessa

For now !