Fisheries Offending Update

Fishers who took too much pāua, scallops and shrimp, and one who sold raffle tickets for a recreationally caught seafood prize, have been fined thousands of dollars.

“People who choose to ignore the fishing rules need to know there will be consequences,” says Fisheries New Zealand’s Director of Fisheries Compliance, Steve Ham.

“Our job is to protect fishing resources so that everyone can enjoy the opportunity to put fresh kaimoana on the dinner table.”

The following cases were before the courts over the past month.

A 51-year-old Oamaru man was fined $750 in the Oamaru District Court for taking 32 pāua from Bushey Beach. The man had his catch inspected in January this year. The daily limit per person in this area for taking pāua is 10 at a minimum size of 125mm.

A 25-year-old Oamaru man was fined $1400 in the Oamaru District Court for taking 53 pāua from a reef near Kakanui. All were undersized. He had his catch inspected by Fishery Officers in February. The daily limit per person for taking pāua is 10 at a minimum size of 125mm.

Three Taranaki men, aged 48, 55 and 43, were each fined $1300 in the New Plymouth District Court for taking seafood from a closed area. They had their catch inspected by Fishery Officers in January at a reef at Pungarehu. Between them, they had 35 pāua, of which 34 were under the minimum size of 85mm. They also had 142 cats’ eyes and four sea snails.

A 44-year-old Lower Hutt man was ordered to do 80 hours' community work by the Hutt Valley District Court for taking 54 pāua. The man had his catch inspected in November at Miramar Peninsula. All pāua were undersize. The daily limit per person is five pāua at a minimum size of 125mm.

A 40-year-old Wellington woman was fined $1800 in the Porirua District Court for taking 49 pāua from the West Coast. All pāua were undersize. The woman had her catch inspected in December. The daily limit per person is five at a minimum size of 125mm.

A 37-year-old Waimarama man was fined $4000 in the Hastings District Court for selling recreationally caught seafood through a raffle. The man was caught by Fishery Officers in 2024. The seafood included a 25kg bin of kina and two 500-gram bags of minced pāua. The man made $1260 from the raffle. It is illegal to sell recreationally caught seafood.

A 57-year-old Milton man was fined $1200 in the Dunedin District Court for taking 30 pāua from Taieri Island. He had his catch inspected in May. The daily limit per person for taking pāua in this area is 10 at a minimum size of 125mm.

A 39-year-old Patea man was fined $1100 in the Hawera District Court for taking 44 pāua, of which 12 were undersize. The man was stopped by Fishery Officers in November. He had been gathering shellfish at a reef in Ōpunake. The daily limit per person for taking pāua in this area is five at a minimum size of 85mm.

A 45-year-old Portland man was ordered to do 150 hours' community work by the Whangarei District Council. The man took 76 scallops from the Whangarei harbour, which is closed to taking scallops. The man was stopped by Fishery Officers in December.

A 43-year-old Auckland man was fined $1300 in the Waitakere District Court for taking 771 shrimp. He had his catch inspected by Fishery Officers at the West End Rowing Club in Avondale in February. The daily limit per person for taking shrimp is 50. The man had previously been educated on the rules by Fishery Officers.

A 38-year-old King Country man was fined $2000 in the Te Kuiti District Court for taking 43 pāua. The man had been gathering shellfish at Kiritehere Beach and had his catch inspected in July last year. All the pāua were under the legal size of 125mm. The legal daily limit per person for taking pāua in this area is 10.

“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 are fishing in an area with limited mobile coverage,” says Mr Ham.

We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224).

-  Ministry for Primary Industries