A pair of Gisborne fishers are likely to be prosecuted after they were found with more than 150 undersized pāua this week.
Fishery officers stopped the duo while doing catch inspections at Waihau Beach, also known as Loisels Beach, about 40km north of Gisborne.
Fisheries NZ district manager Jordan Cooper said all pāua recovered were undersized with the smallest measuring 60mm – less than half the legal size of 125mm.
“Our fishery officers patrol a large coastal area and with summer on the way and more people expected to be fishing you can expect to regularly see us along the coasts and beaches.”
The daily limit per person was five pāua, and Cooper said people who took more than their share were “stealing from us all”.
“The rules are there for a reason – to keep our shared fisheries sustainable into the future and when we find evidence of these rules being deliberately broken, we will take action.”
The Ministry for Primary Industries encouraged people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 476 224).
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