Toheroa were uncommon in 2006, with only 124 individuals found (Morrison & Parkinson 2008).
Most of these were juveniles of 50 mm shell length or smaller, few were in the 50–74 mm range, and only one individual larger than 75 mm was found (surveys at Ninety Mile in the 1960s and 1970s found toheroa up to 115–119 mm). No identifiable beds were encountered, and the distribution of toheroa was described as very variable and patchy. An estimated 8.8 million toheroa (c.v. 31%) were present. Limited additional searching of specific areas of the beach, specifically identified by local iwi as being good gathering spots, failed to find any further concentrations of toheroa.