Porirua poacher jailed after being caught with over 600 pāua
In November 2022, fishery officers searching the home of Ruteru Sufia found 65 pāua in a freezer along with 554 shucked pāua in another freezer.
"This was a large amount of pāua, more than 60 times the daily catch limit and more than 30 times the accumulation limit. Also, 45 of the pāua found were undersize," Fisheries New Zealand regional manager, Fisheries Compliance, Phil Tasker, said.
The seized pāua found at the Porirua home of Ruteru Sufia. (Source: Supplied)
He was slapped with four charges under the Fisheries Act and one charge under the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations.
ADVERTISEMENT
While on bail, the 63-year-old was caught with a further 48 pāua – with 29 less than the minimum legal size.
Tasker said Sufia had intended to sell the seafood, which is illegal.
'We have zero tolerance for poachers – they affect the sustainability of our shared fisheries, and they affect people who legitimately trade in seafood,' Tasker said.
"Mr Sufia claimed the pāua in his freezer was for a wedding in Auckland, an explanation the court didn't believe. Mr Sufia's offending was deliberate.
'He wasn't concerned with legal size and catch limits; he was driven by financial gain from poaching this pāua."
Sufia "has a long record of breaking fisheries rules", Tasker said, with the Ministry for Primary Industries dealing with more than 35 offences involving the man over "a number of years".
He was sentenced today in the Porirua District Court to two years and six months in prison after being prosecuted by MPI.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sufia was also banned from all forms of fishing for three years.
'When we find evidence of illegal fishing – you can be assured that we will investigate and depending on the circumstances, place the matter before the court."
Anyone who suspected illegal activity could make a report through 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
6 days ago
- 1News
Porirua poacher jailed after being caught with over 600 pāua
A Porirua man has been sentenced to more than two years in jail after being found guilty of poaching 619 pāua – more than 60 times the daily catch limit. In November 2022, fishery officers searching the home of Ruteru Sufia found 65 pāua in a freezer along with 554 shucked pāua in another freezer. "This was a large amount of pāua, more than 60 times the daily catch limit and more than 30 times the accumulation limit. Also, 45 of the pāua found were undersize," Fisheries New Zealand regional manager, Fisheries Compliance, Phil Tasker, said. The seized pāua found at the Porirua home of Ruteru Sufia. (Source: Supplied) He was slapped with four charges under the Fisheries Act and one charge under the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations. ADVERTISEMENT While on bail, the 63-year-old was caught with a further 48 pāua – with 29 less than the minimum legal size. Tasker said Sufia had intended to sell the seafood, which is illegal. 'We have zero tolerance for poachers – they affect the sustainability of our shared fisheries, and they affect people who legitimately trade in seafood,' Tasker said. "Mr Sufia claimed the pāua in his freezer was for a wedding in Auckland, an explanation the court didn't believe. Mr Sufia's offending was deliberate. 'He wasn't concerned with legal size and catch limits; he was driven by financial gain from poaching this pāua." Sufia "has a long record of breaking fisheries rules", Tasker said, with the Ministry for Primary Industries dealing with more than 35 offences involving the man over "a number of years". He was sentenced today in the Porirua District Court to two years and six months in prison after being prosecuted by MPI. ADVERTISEMENT Sufia was also banned from all forms of fishing for three years. 'When we find evidence of illegal fishing – you can be assured that we will investigate and depending on the circumstances, place the matter before the court." Anyone who suspected illegal activity could make a report through 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24).
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Man found with over 600 pāua gets prison time
Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi A 63-year-old Porirua man found with over 600 pāua has been sent to prison for more than 2 years. Ruteru Sufia was sentenced in the Porirua District Court today on four charges under the Fisheries Act and one charge under the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations. The Court also banned him from all forms of fishing for three years. In 2022, 65 whole and 554 shucked pāua were found in Sufia's freezers by Fishery Officers. "This was a large amount of pāua, more than 60 times the daily catch limit and more than 30 times the accumulation limit," Fisheries New Zealand Regional Manager, Fisheries Compliance, Phil Tasker said. He said 45 of the pāua found were undersize and Sufia claimed the pāua in his freezer was for a wedding in Auckland. It was an explanation the court didn't believe. While on bail on charges related to those pāua, Sufia was caught with a further 48 pāua, with 29 less than the minimum legal size. "Sufia intended to sell this seafood, which is also illegal. We have zero tolerance for poachers - they affect the sustainability of our shared fisheries, and they affect people who legitimately trade in seafood," he said. "When we find evidence of illegal fishing - you can be assured that we will investigate and depending on the circumstances, place the matter before the court," Tasker said. He said Sufia has a long record of breaking fisheries rules, with more than 35 offences dealt with by MPI over a number of years.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- NZ Herald
MPI officers seize 619 pāua during Porirua raid, man jailed for more than two years
A Porirua man caught with 619 pāua, which he intended to sell, has been jailed for two years and six months. Ruteru Sufia was sentenced in the Porirua District Court today on four charges under the Fisheries Act and one charge under the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations. The 63-year-old has
