Ministry of Fisheries seizures in Gisborne land 450 paua

21 November 2008

Seizures by Ministry of Fisheries fishery officers in Gisborne over the past week have resulted in the confiscation of 450 excess and largely undersized paua.

All these infringements took place between Sponge Bay and Kaiti Beach in Gisborne over a five day period from 13 – 18 November.

In one case, fishery officers pursued 2 offenders who had taken 177 mainly undersized paua, over the hills between Kaiti Beach and Sponge Bay. One of the offenders carrying the paua was apprehended during the chase; the second escaped but later came forward following a tip off on their ID and subsequent enquiries conducted with their family.

In another case an individual was apprehended with 85 paua. The daily limit for paua is 10 per diver with the minimum size being 125mm. All those involved in these infringements will now face prosecution.

“These people know the rules and think nothing of breaking them, they have no regard for the sustainability of the fishery,” says Tom Teneti Ministry of Fisheries District Compliance Manager.

“There are signs all along this area outlining the rules, so anyone who takes over the limit or undersized paua knows what they are doing is wrong,” says Mr Teneti.

With summer approaching, fishery officers will be lifting their presence on the beaches in the recreational fishery to ensure that the public adhere to the rules.

At the same time, the public are reminded that fishery officers cannot be everywhere and if any suspicious activity is seen the Ministry would encourage them to contact them on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476224).