KEY POINTS:
Fisheries officers have swooped on paua poachers on the Northland coast, seizing 170 of the prized shellfish, of which only 12 were legal.
The sting on the remote stretch of coastline between Maunganui Bluff and Hokianga Harbour entrance comes as the Ministry of Fisheries is about to launch its annual summer operation.
The area, particularly near Kawerua, north of Dargaville, is well known for paua poaching, the ministry's Northland district compliance manager, Darren Edwards, told the Northern Advocate.
"It's organised and they work round the tides and weather and supply Asian markets in Auckland," Mr Edwards said.
Two men, aged 46 and 38, from Hokianga, and a 34-year-old Dargaville man were charged with possession of excess paua more than three times the daily limit.
They will appear in Dargaville District Court early in the new year.
A fourth man from Hokianga was fined $750 for having under-size and excess paua.
Nationally, the legal paua catch is 1057 tonnes, but the ministry estimates a further 965 tonnes is traded on the black market, shipped overseas or sold domestically.
Dave Turner, the ministry's investigation services manager, said the illegal trade was a "significant, serious problem. People talk about the trade in drugs, methamphetamine being really bad. Well, so is paua, simply because the criminal gangs dealing in paua are also dealing in drugs."
The ministry launches its summer operation today, coinciding with the influx of boaties and fishers expected in the region over the holiday period.
- NZPA
