People taking too much pāua have had an expensive summer with fines costing them hundreds of dollars.
“Fishers who ignore the fishing rules need to know there will be consequences and it will hurt their wallet. Our job is to protect fishing resources so that everyone can enjoy the opportunity to put fresh kaimoana on the dinner the table,” says Fisheries New Zealand Director of Fisheries Compliance, Steve Ham.
A 30-year-old Hastings man and a 32-year-old Whanganui man have been fined $1200 each in the Hastings District Court for taking 54 undersize pāua from Kairakau Beach in February last year. The daily limit per person is five pāua with a minimum size of 125mm. The men told Fishery Officers they did not know the daily limit or measure their catch, nor did they possess a customary permit to take the shellfish.
A 28-year-old man was fined $600 in the Hastings District Court, for taking 54 pāua from Mangakuri Beach in 2023. 52 of the pāua were undersize. The daily catch limit per person is five pāua with a minimum size of 125mm. Another 20-year-old man was granted a discharge without conviction after donating $500 to the SPCA for his part in the offending.
A 40-year-old Hastings man was placed on six months community detention and 12 months supervision in the Napier District Court for taking 33 pāua, of which 24 were undersize. The man who has previous fisheries convictions was stopped by Fishery Officers in November 2022 after being at Managakuri beach. The pāua had been shucked. The daily limit per person for pāua is five with a minimum size of 125mm.
A 45-year-old Lower Hutt man has been fined $2000 in Hutt Valley District Court for taking 68 pāua from the Eastbourne area. The man had his catch inspected in July last year. The daily limit per person is five with a minimum length of 125mm.
A 37-year-old Hastings has been fined $800 in the Hastings District Court for obstructing Fishery Officers who were carrying out their inspections in March last year. The Fishery Officers were patrolling Blackhead Beach and observed four divers return to their vehicle. While they were checking the vehicle’s catch, they were approached by another vehicle at speed which failed to stop when told to by the Fishery Officers. Police intervened and stopped the man, who was subsequently charged with obstruction.
“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 Fisheries New Zealand Director of Fisheries Compliance Steve 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).
