Start wiggling your toes because the Pipi (Goolwa cockle) season is open again.

One of the easiest ways to find a pipi is too stand just inside the edge of the water and do the cockle shuffle (scrunch the sand with your toes until you can feel the shell).

Any pipis collected must be at least 3.5 cm in length across the widest part of the shell.  Handy pocket measures can be purchased at service stations and tackle shops. 

There is a daily bag limit of 300 cockles per person and 900 per vehicle. More information is available at the Department of Primary Industries website.  

South Australian Fisheries officers regularly visit both Goolwa and Middleton beaches and can issue cautions and infringements for undersize takes and bag limit breaches. 

Once used mainly for bait, pipis are now popular in dishes such as chowder, laksa and pasta.  It’s important to keep them in salt water to help purge the sand inside the mollusc. Any that don't open during the cooking process should be discarded and not eaten.

The season will remain open until the end of May next year.