11 hours ago
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.
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"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.
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The public was asked to report illegal takes to the 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 47 62 24).
