b'Golden Opportunity for Coromandel ScallopsScallop season once opened on September 1st in Coromandel. Today, the date is a stark reminder of what has been lost.D ecades ofBY LEGASEA mismanagement,Closed Area Since 2022overallocation, and the destructive use of Victorian box dredges drove the Coromandel scallop fishery to collapse.It was only after sustained pressure from the local community, led by Ngti Hei, that in 2022 then Minister David Parker moved to close the fishery from Cape Rodney north of the Hauraki Gulf, through the Coromandel and across to the Bay of Plenty.While necessary, this closure was no cause for celebration. A closure signals a failure of effective management.No one wins from a collapsed fishery - the scallops, commercial operators, regional economies, local whnau, hap, iwi and communities, and future generations of Kiwis all lose out.We must find a better way. AThis map shows the area closed since solution that allows the scallop2022 from Cape Rodney north of the population to rebuild, ratherHauraki Gulf, through the Coromandel and across to the Bay of Plenty. than tearing them down. /FISHINGINGODZONE39'