Latest news with #FisheriesNewZealand
1News
22-07-2025
- 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).
Otago Daily Times
21-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Meeting in Karitane for public to discuss proposed mātaitai
A proposal to make a popular fishing area off the Otago Coast into an iwi-managed reserve is on the table as a way to protect the area and still allow fishing to take place. Last month, Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki applied to Fisheries New Zealand to create a 47.5sqkm mātaitai reserve extending from Cornish Head to Purehurehu Point. On August 21, there will be a public meeting at the Puketeraki Marae in Karitane to discuss the application with the community. East Otago Taiapure management committee chairman Brendan Flack said it would be "business as usual for pretty much everything". "The East Otago Taiapure was established in the 1990s, and at that time the boundaries were a little bit of a compromise ... for ease of management." Now that mapping of the area had been completed, they found certain reefs they were looking to protect were bisected by the current boundaries. "It's not really providing good protection, so it is just a matter of tidying up those boundaries." He said the mātaitai would give the opportunity to extend the area where paua was reseeded, and to be more active in removing invasive seaweed without banning recreational fishing in the same way a marine reserve would do. "This is a way of locally protecting an area and still allowing fishing to take place." The mātaitai would not change recreational fishing rules. However, there might be proposed changes later on, any of which would be consulted on with the public and relevant stakeholders, and would need to be approved by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries. In a mātaitai, commercial fishing is generally banned, but Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki has proposed exemptions allowing certain commercial activities to take place. This includes allowing the anchoring of commercial vessels, the processing of commercially caught fish, the taking and holding of rock lobster in holding pots, the taking of paddle crab and the taking of Undaria pinnatifida (invasive seaweed). The proposal also allows the commercial taking of finfish, except for blue cod, butterfish and moki. The current boundaries of the East Otago Taiapure were too small to effectively manage non-sedentary species of sea life, and the proposed boundaries of the mātaitai would make this easier, the proposal said. Submissions from the public about the proposal were open until September 4 on the New Zealand Fisheries website. Fish Mainland director and Tautuku Fishing Club president Brett Bensemann was concerned about the proposal. He said everyone should be working together for the future of fishing, instead of "constant surprises by certain groups". "Certain groups can be anyone ... commercial, Fisheries New Zealand, iwi — we should all be communicating. "Perhaps a Otago Coast Guardians Group of representatives from all sectors should be put in place."
Otago Daily Times
07-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Voice opinion on proposed blue cod limit, angler says
Keen angler Steve Bennett asks anyone who recreationally fishes to let their voice be heard in regard to proposed changes to the blue cod limits allowed per person. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON A Dunedin angler unhappy with proposed cuts to the blue cod catch limit for recreational fishers is asking everyone to have their say on the matter before it is too late. Keen angler Steve Bennett said it was only a few years ago that the limit was 30, and dropping the blue cod limit from 15 to 10 would make the reward of fishing not worth the cost of heading out. "I can't see the rationale for dropping it from 15 to 10 — I think that the blue cod fishery is in pretty good state at the moment and has been for a while." If the limit was reduced, it would be hard for people going out in a boat fishing to justify the fuel costs. He said Mother Nature had her own protection methods in place. "Our coastline is reasonably weather protected and there's a lot of days where, even if you could go out, you can't because of the sea conditions." Mr Bennett encouraged all fishers to have their say — whether that be for or against the proposed changes. "Too many consultation processes go through and people don't actually know about it until after it's happened. "If people are interested, then they need to put their names on a piece of paper and have their say — this has the potential to impact a lot on recreational fishers." Fisheries New Zealand director of fisheries management Emma Taylor said changes to catch limits were in store for the next fisheries sustainability review this October. The review included proposed changes for three blue cod stocks, snapper on the West Coast and blue mackerel on the west coast of the North Island. "Proposed cuts to commercial catch for two blue cod stocks are in response to latest abundance estimates, while the third had a commercial catch limit cut last year. "Recreational daily catch limits are proposed to be reduced for all three fisheries, in line with the settings in place under the National Blue Cod Strategy," she said. The review said blue cod stock in the Foveaux Strait was significantly overfished. Public consultation began on June 24 and closes on July 23.
1News
27-06-2025
- 1News
Almost 2000 pāua worth $25,000 seized in Wellington
Two men have been caught with a "huge haul" of illegally harvested pāua by Wellington fishery officers. The officers discovered 1863 pāua while inspecting the pairs vessel shortly after it landed at Titahi Bay on Tuesday afternoon. Fisheries New Zealand regional manager Phil Tasker said that the "huge haul" of pāua had already been shucked, and the two men would likely face charges under the Fisheries Act. "There is a maximum daily limit of five pāua per fisher in this area, which gives some context to the scale of this offending and the potential damage it could do to the pāua population," Tasker said. The estimated retail value of the pāua was $25,000. ADVERTISEMENT "Offending on this scale is incredibly disappointing to see. This fishery is a shared resource, and the rules are there to protect its sustainability for everyone." Wellington was recently found to be the worst place in the country for pāua poaching, with 30% of people checked breaking the law. Officers checking people on the coast find almost one in three is over the bag limit. (Source: 1News) Generally, one in 10 people checked nationwide were found to be over the limit with their pāua or undersized juveniles. Tasker had previously said sometimes "extreme amounts of pāua has been taken for commercial gain as a saleable commodity". "Most fishers go out there wanting to do the right thing and follow the rules." People could check the rules for their area by downloading the NZ Fishing Rules mobile app. "Our message for those who think they can steal this shared resource is that we will pursue offending, and there will be consequences," Tasker said. ADVERTISEMENT The public was asked to report illegal takes to the 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 47 62 24).
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- RNZ News
Fishermen caught with more than 1800 pāua in Porirua facing charges
A fifth of the1863 pāua fishery officers discovered on a vessel. Photo: Supplied / Fisheries New Zealand A pair of fishers are likely to face charges after being caught with more than 1800 pāua in Porirua. The pāua was seized by fishery officers based in Wellington earlier this week. "While inspecting a vessel shortly after it landed at Titahi Bay on Tuesday afternoon, fishery officers discovered 1863 pāua, which had already been shucked," Fisheries New Zealand regional Manager Phil Tasker said. The estimated retail value of the pāua was approximately $25,000. Tasker said it was one of the biggest hauls of illegally harvested pāua in recent times. "There is a maximum daily limit of five pāua per fisher in this area, which gives some context to the scale of this offending, and the potential damage it could do to the pāua population." The case is still under investigation, but Tasker said the two men in possession of the shellfish were likely to face charges under the Fisheries Act. He said it was incredibly disappointing to see offending of this scale. "This fishery is a shared resource, and the rules are there to protect its sustainability for everyone. Our message for those who think they can steal this shared resource is that we will pursue offending and there will be consequences." Tasker said most fishers wanted to follow the rules. "The best way to stay on top of the rules for the area you're fishing or gathering shellfish in is to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app," he said. The Ministry for Primary Industries encouraged people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry's 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 47 62 24). Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
