A group has been caught with allegedly more than three times the legal limit of popular shellfish tuatua in Tauranga.
A Ministry for Primary Industries honorary fishery officer patrol were inspecting the catch of a group of four people at Pāpāmoa's Taylors Reserve on Wednesday when they made the discovery.
Initially, the group showed the officers a bucket with the daily allowable limit of 600 tuatua, or 150 each. However, following a search, officers uncovered a chilly bin in their vehicle allegedly containing a further 1287 tuatua.
MPI Acting Regional Manager for Fisheries Compliance, Jodie Cole said it was disappointing given the number of shellfish taken and what appeared to be a general disregard for the rules.
"The local shellfish beds have been under a lot of pressure throughout summer. There is visual signage in the area which clearly states the daily take limit of 150 tuatua per gatherer.