According to the Ministry of Fisheries large paua have been seized by the patrolling officers from divers operating in Whanarua Bay. Poverty Bay Field Operations Manager Tom Teneti said patrols were targeting the favourable low tide period and fine weather. He added that the 200 illegal seized paua were taken from various divers who had disregarded the regulations that apply to size and daily limits of paua.
He also said that the biggest haul from a single group saw 169 paua being seized of which the majority was undersize – below the minimum size limit of 125 millimetres. The officers started probe into the incident and said that those involves will face prosecution. If convicted they risk the loss of the vehicle used in committing the offence and might be imposed with hefty fines.
The authority has issued infringement notices to two individuals who also took excess and undersize paua, with the cost to each offender likely to be $500.Teneti said that the incident is a timely reminder that if you intend to fish for customary purposes you need to obtain the appropriate customary authorisation if gathering in a gazetted area. He added that if anyone caught fishing without a valid authorisation you do not have a defence of exercising a legitimate customary fishing right and may be liable to prosecution if caught fishing in contravention of the amateur fishing regulations.
