Scallop Dredging In Golden Bay, New Zealand
The Scallop Riches of Golden Bay can be Dredged Up Easily
Oct 13, 2009
Each mid winter, in the Tasman District at the top of the South Island of New Zealand, a surprising ritual takes place. At dawn, on a chilly 15th of July, a convoy of trailer boats is hauled north over the tortuous Takaka Hill road to picturesque Golden Bay.
This is the opening of the scallop season and enthusiastic scallopers have been waiting months to start dredging the rich bounty of scallops that lie on the sea bed in the shallow waters of Golden Bay.
On fine winter weekends it is not uncommon to see 30 to 50 small boats out dredging from early morning to mid afternoon. Each skipper has his own theory as to exactly where the best scallop beds are and the boats on the water are constantly changing as those with a full harvest head back and are replaced by new arrivals.
To harvest scallops boats drag small dredges along the sea bed at a depth of about 50 to 60 feet with each boat usually taking less that two hours to reach its allowable catch. After dragging a dredge for about 15 minutes a boat makes a sharp “U” turn and follows the tow rope back towards the dredge while a crew member rapidly pulls in the slacking rope.
Once most the rope is hauled in and tied off, the boat speeds up causing the dredge on the seafloor to flip over. As it is hauled through the water at a modest speed, the wing shaped dredge rises to the surface and is dragged through the water for a couple of minutes to wash any mud or sand out of it. The boat is then stopped and the dredge hauled aboard complete with its contents of scallops, star fish, green lip mussels, horse mussels and marine detritus. The dredge is quickly emptied into a bin and dropped over board again for another fifteen minute drag.
Scallop Legal Size Rules Strictly Enforced
Each scallop is measured and any less than 90 mm diameter are thrown overboard along with other unwanted by-catch. This is critical as fishery inspection officers frequently patrol the scallop beds and regularly check catches. The penalties for possessing undersize scallops can be severe and include fines or even the confiscation of the boat for a flagrant breach of the regulations. Scallops also have to be carefully counted as no more than 50 scallops, per actively participating crew member, can be taken by each boat. Once again, breaches by greedy or careless counters are severely dealt with.
Once ashore the scallops are shucked, cleaned and packed into meal size containers with most being frozen for future use. Some are kept aside for gourmet meals of fresh scallops over the next day or two, often with much discussion as to size and tastiness compared to previous seasons.
New Zealand scallops (Pecten novaezelandiae) are bi-valve shellfish and they are one of few seafoods “farmed” in a natural environment. During late spring and early summer scallop larvae, drifting in the water, settle out onto the surface of hairy panels hung from moored rafts where they can grow for a few months safe from predators, such as crabs and star fish. When they reach around 20 mm in diameter they are collected and dropped in areas thought to provide the best conditions for their future growth. After 2 to 3 years the scallops reach the minimum legal size of 90 mm diameter and become part of the rich sea food bounty prized by both amateur and commercial scallopers.
Amateur scallopers have a season that runs from July 15 to February 14 but commercial scallopers can only dredge between September the 8th until about mid-December. The commercial season is set each year to take account of the number and size of the scallops so it changes each season. The health of the scallop beds is the prime concern and as amateur scallopers do not make too much of an impression on the scallop beds, they get a longer season.
How to Cook Scallops
Scallops are best cooked lightly and their subtle unique flavor can be buried if too much in the way of strong herbs or spices are added. Coat them thinly with beaten egg, flour, a modest sprinkle of mixed herbs, salt and perhaps a tiny taste of garlic, then quickly sauté in a hot pan with olive oil. Do NOT overcook. Serve with a dash of lemon juice and a glass of wine.
 |
 |
 |
 |
