Fishery officers have caught two separate groups of illegal pāua gatherers in consecutive nights – confiscating a total of 456 shellfish from a closed area in Taranaki.
Three people were caught on Wednesday night with 118 pāua, and another three people were caught Thursday night with 338 pāua – all of it taken from a closed area.
All six people were likely to be prosecuted, said Fisheries New Zealand district manager Aaron Mendoza.
In the first incident on Wednesday, the 118 pāua were taken near Ōpunake, with 16 undersize.
Mendoza said officers then received a call on Thursday night reporting suspicious behaviour, with the tip-off including the registration details of a vehicle.
“Officers responded and, with support from New Zealand Police, stopped the group in their vehicle after they had taken the pāua from the Rahotu area, which is within the closure zone,” he said.
Of the 338 pāua seized on Thursday night, 199 were undersize.
“When people disregard the rules, they are stealing from everyone,” Mendoza said.
The Western Taranaki closure stretched from Tapuae Stream, just south of New Plymouth, to Taungatara Stream, south of Ōpunake.
It prohibited the gathering of all shellfish, including pāua, and remains in place until December 2026.
The Ministry for Primary Industries encouraged people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 476 224).
