Scientific name: |
Zygochlamys delicatula (Chlamys delicatula) |
Other names: |
tipa (Maori), southern queen, New Zealand gem scallop, New Zealand gem shellfish |
Queen scallops are a worst choice seafood. A better alternative are cockles or farmed Pacific oyster.
This is the smaller of two commercially fished scallop species in New Zealand. It is found mainly in southern waters from South Canterbury and Stewart Island to the sub-Antarctic Islands. As with the more common scallops (Pecten novaezealandiae), they are found on the seafloor in sandy or muddy habitats. Queen scallops are a deeper species, found in waters up to 400m. They are harvested by dredging.
Queen scallops are caught using a special trawl, which is dragged along the seafloor like a dredge. It results in a high bycatch of many non-target species, including invertebrates, and can dramatically alters seabed ecology and associated species assemblages. Also of concern is the absence of directed research, unknown sustainability of current catch levels, absence of population size or yield estimates and the lack of a management plan.
Not certified under any scheme.
The market for queen scallops includes New Zealand, Australia and Asia.
Asssessment output
No regional or fishing method difference.
| Score: | D |
| Population size: | Uncertain |
| Annual catch limit: | Limit set at 380 tonnes since 2002. |
| Recorded catch: | Reported landings of 1.788 tonnes in 2014-15, which is the lowest in 20 years. |
| Stock trends: | Unknown and there are no yield estimates. |
| MSY Status: | Unknown |
| The Ministry of Primary Industries assessment plenary report includes: | “No estimates of fishery parameters or abundance are available at present.” (MPI 2016, p 992-994). |
| Score: | C |
| Distribution: | From South Canterbury to Stewart Island and around offshore islands from the Snares to as far south as Macquarie Island, Australia. |
| Maximum age (years): | 10+ |
| Age at sexual maturity: | 4-5 years |
| Growth rate: | Low |
| Reproductive output: | High |
| Age exploited: | 3-5 |
| Ability to recover: | Low to moderate |
| Score: | E |
| Fishing method(s): | Dredging |
| Habitat damage: | Dredging can remove a range of fragile invertebrate species including bryozoans and sponges. |
| Habitat of particular significance: | hasn’t been defined in New Zealand. |
| Bycatch: | Non-target shellfish species and invertebrate species including bryozoans and sponges. |
| Ecological effects: | Dredging can dramatically alter seabed ecology and associated species assemblages. |
| Score: | A |
| Bycatch: | There are no reports of bycatch of protected species in this fishery. |
| Score: | D |
| Management component: | Single species. |
| Score: | D |
| Quota Management Species: | Yes, since 2002 in FMA 3 and 5. |
| Catch limits: | Yes. |
| Management plan: | There is no approved shellfish and inshore plan. |
| Stock assessment: | No quantitative stock assessments. A non-standardised relative biomass is available from a 2004 survey. |
| Research: | There is no directed research on queen scallop sustainability or biology. |
| Observer coverage: | Unobserved. |
Fisheries map
Taken from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Plenary report for fisheries management.
References
Paste here.