Pāua
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| Genus: | Haliotis
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Paua or pāua is the Māori name given to three species of large edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs which belong to the family Haliotidae (genus Haliotis), known in the USA as abalone and in the UK as Ormer shells.
There are three species of New Zealand paua:
| Species | Scientific name | Maori and common names |
|---|---|---|
| Paua | Haliotis iris | Blackfoot Paua[1] |
| Queen paua | Haliotis australis | Silver Paua, Yellow Foot Paua, Hihiwa & Karariwha[2] |
| Virgin paua | Haliotis virginea |
New Zealand's best known paua species is Haliotis iris. It is also the most common species, growing up to 18 cm in length.
Distribution
These three species of haliotid are endemic to New Zealand coastal waters.
Habitat
Paua are commonly found in shallow coastal waters along rocky shorelines in depths of 1 to 15 m.
Life habits
These large sea snails survive the strong tidal surges by clinging to rocks using their large muscular foot. They feed on seaweed.
Shell description
The shell of the paua is oval and the exterior is often covered with greyish incrustations. In contrast the interior (called the nacre) of a Paua is an iridescent swirl of intense green, blue, purple, and sometimes pink colours.
Harvesting
Paua are gathered recreationally and commercially but strict catch limits are set for both. For recreational fishers this is ten paua per person, per day. The minimum legal size for caught paua is 125 mm for haliotis iris and 80 mm for haliotis australis.[3] Paua can only be caught by free diving. It is illegal to dive for paua using scuba equipment.
There is an extensive global black market in the collection and export of abalone meat. Pāua poaching is a major industry in New Zealand with many thousands being taken illegally, often undersized. The right to harvest pāua can be granted legally under Māori customary rights, but when permits to harvest are abused, it is difficult to police. The limit is strictly enforced by roving Ministry of Fisheries officers with the backing of police. Convictions have resulted in seizure of diving gear, boats, and motor vehicles as well as fines and in rare cases, imprisonment. The Ministry of Fisheries expects in the year 2004/05, nearly 1,000 tons of pāua will be poached, with 75% of that being undersized.[1]
Human use
To Māori, paua are recognised taonga, or treasure, esteemed both as kai moana (seafood) and as a valued resource for traditional and contemporary arts and crafts. Paua are frequently used to represent the eyes in Māori carvings and traditionally are associated with the stars, or whetu the eyes of ancestors that gaze down from the night sky.
The paua is iconic in New Zealand: its black muscular foot is considered a delicacy, and the shell is frequently used in jewelry.
Highly polished New Zealand pāua shells are extremely popular as souvenirs with their striking blue, green, and purple iridescence. Transporting unprocessed abalone shells out of New Zealand is illegal.
Other names
Paua is also called "Sea Opal".[4]
Notes
- ^ www.nzfsa.govt.nz Retrieved on June 3rd, 2008.
- ^ www.nzfsa.govt.nz Retrieved on June 3rd, 2008.
- ^ www.fish.govt.nz Retrieved on June 3rd, 2008.
- ^ www.earthstreasure.com Retrieved on April 27th, 2008.
References
- Powell A W B, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
- New Zealand Press Association (2006-05-30), "Paua industry wants stiffer penalties for thieves", The New Zealand Herald
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Ministry of Fisheries (2007), Species Focus - Paua (purple paua - Halitosis iris)
Reading
- McCrea, Malcolm (2005) Paua Craft: A Nga Paua. Raupo Publishing (NZ). ISBN 0790009951