Hopes for restarting cockle beds

Unloading the morning's cockle harvest at Careys Bay on Saturday are (front to back) Brendan Flack, from Puketeraki Marae at Karitane, John Henry and Kevin Russell-Reihana, from Arowhenua Marae at Temuka, Geoff Mullen from Dunedin and Henry Couch, from Rapaki Marae on Banks Peninsula. Photo by Linda Robertson.

Representatives of several east coast South Island runanga spent about an hour gathering about a dozen sacks of cockles from special permit beds in the lower Otago Harbour yesterday.

They were joined by a representative from the Ministry of Fisheries and the seafood training industry.

Henry Couch, from Rapaki Marae on Banks Peninsula, said the harvested cockles would be re-seeded by runanga in Kaikoura, Kaiapoi, Temuka and Lyttelton.

A few sacks would also be dropped off to Moeraki runanga.

Reseeding the cockles was essentially experimental at this stage, to see if they would grow in other areas, Mr Couch said.

A harvest taken last year and re-seeded in Lyttelton Harbour was doing well so far, and now they wanted to see if the cockles would grow in other spots too.

The harvested cockles would be dried out, painted and replanted in their new homes.

They would be tested every month to check their health.

A scientist from the University of Canterbury was assisting with the project.

The aim was sustainability, Mr Couch said.

"The emphasis is on looking after what we already have. We want to ensure that our moko [grandchildren], and your moko, can go out and get these kai like we can. We are very thankful to Otakou for this."

Tangi Russell, of Dunedin, said Otakou runanga had always maintained the Otago Harbour could be the nest for all of the east coast when it came to cockles.

"We would far rather see them used for this, to re-establish diminished beds and start new ones everyone can access, than be sold for commercial purposes."

debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz