A TWEED Heads fisherman wants the State Government to stop commercial harvesting of pipis to save the species.

Seagulls Fishing Club president Charlie Howe said commercial pipi harvesting should be stopped while scientific research into the shellfish’s disappearance is conducted.

He said overfishing contributed to the disappearance of pipis on Tweed beaches and it was happening across NSW.

“There is no bag limit in NSW,” Mr Howe said.

“The only places where pipis are commercially harvested are in South Australia and NSW, and they have put a 300-tonne limit in South Australia.”

The Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) of pipis increased in 2010-11 to 330 tonnes.

“It (TACC) is specifically to create a sustainable industry,” Mr Howe said.

He said there were five or six commercial operators on the Tweed a few years ago, but they had all closed or moved on because it was not viable.

“They used to take out truckloads of pipis, and I don’t think the populations have recovered,” he said.

There is a lot of uncertainty as to why the pipi was disappearing. Some Tweed fishers who made a livelihood from harvesting beach worms said erosion was reducing pipi numbers on Tweed beaches.

ECOfishers chief executive officer Ken Thurlow said the pipi populations were being “ravaged” by a mystery disease.

Although there were a lot of different opinions on the disappearance of pipis, all parties agreed more research was needed.

A Tweed Bait spokes- woman said human consumption of pipis had increased demand, along with its price, now about $60 a kilogram.

A NSW Department of Primary Industries spokesman said the government was aware of a decline in pipis on NSW beaches, including those not commercially harvested.

“Management arrangements for commercial pipi fishing are under active review by the department,” the spokesman said.