Consequences for Ignoring Fishing Rules

Over the past month, recreational fishers who took too much pāua and too many cockles, oysters, crayfish, kina and mussels have been dealt thousands of dollars in fines by the courts.

“People who choose to ignore the fishing rules need to know there will be consequences. Our job is to protect fishing resources so that everyone can enjoy the opportunity to put fresh kaimoana on the dinner table,” says Fisheries New Zealand’s Director of Fisheries Compliance, Steve Ham.

A 33-year-old Motueka man was fined $1,100 in Nelson District Court for taking 18 undersized pāua from the west coast of Golden Bay. The man had his catch inspected by a Fishery Officer in December last year. The daily legal limit per person in this area is five, with a minimum size of 125mm.

A 35-year-old Auckland man was fined $4,000 in the North Shore District Court for taking 1,351 cockles from Okoromai Bay in March this year. The daily limit per person in this area is 50. The man was stopped by a Fishery Officer and all the cockles were returned to the sea.

A 39-year-old Gisborne man was fined $750 in the Gisborne District Court for taking ten undersized crayfish in February this year from Kaiti beach. The daily limit per person in this area is three crayfish at a minimum size of 54mm for male and 60mm for female crayfish.

A 40-year-old New Plymouth woman and a 23-year-old New Plymouth man were fined a total of $1,500 in the New Plymouth District Court for taking pāua from a closed area. They were stopped while gathering shellfish at a reef in the Rahotu area in February this year. The area in Taranaki has been closed since December 2022. Of the 85 pāua gathered, 60 were undersized. There is signage in the area displaying the Western Taranaki Closure.

A 53-year-old Auckland man was sentenced to 160 hours of community work in the North Shore District Court for illegally selling recreationally caught pacific rock oysters. The man had been selling the oysters from the boot of his car in the Wellsford area and offered the seafood to an off-duty Fishery Officer. The man was interviewed by Fishery Officers and admitted to selling about 200 pacific rock oysters to various people.

A 47-year-old Christchurch man was placed on home detention for seven months and ordered to do 80 hours of community work for taking 460 pāua from the Kaikoura coast. He was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court. The man was stopped by a Fishery Officer in December last year following a report to the 0800 4 POACHER hotline. The man had intended to sell the pāua. 

A 48-year-old Porirua man was fined $2,500 in the Wellington District Court for purchasing 71 bins of recreationally caught kina over about five months between 2021 and 2022. The person who gathered and sold the kina to the man was last year fined $3,900 for his part in the fisheries offending.

A 60-year-old Gore man and a 45-year-old Matamata woman were both fined $850 each in the Invercargill District Court for their part in taking 450 mussels from Colac Bay in Southland. Two other people involved were both convicted and discharged for their part in the offending last December. The daily limit for taking mussels in this area is 25 per person.

A 56-year-old Hauraki man was fined $3,000 in the Papakura District Court for taking 133 green lipped mussels. The man was stopped by Fishery Officers in 2020 at Waiti Bay. The man was uncooperative with the Fishery Officers and was also charged with obstruction. The daily limit in the area for taking green lipped mussels is 25 per person.

A 72-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman have each been fined $850 in the North Shore District Court for taking 1,372 pacific rock oysters from Brown’s Bay in Auckland. The daily limit per person is 100. The couple had their catch inspected by Fishery Officers in June this year.

“If you’re unsure of the fishing rules in the area you plan to fish, get the most up-to-date fishing rules by downloading the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app. It will also work if you’re fishing in an area with limited mobile coverage,” says Mr Ham.

Fisheries New Zealand encourages people to report any suspected illegal fishing activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 47 62 24).

- Ministry for Primary Industries