KEY POINTS:
Ministry of Fisheries officers have busted a family-run paua poaching ring operating along the Kaikoura Coast.
Nelson and Christchurch fishery officers yesterday arrested the alleged ring leader, a 48-year-old Vietnamese man, living in Nelson.
The ministry said he would appear in Nelson District Court on August 12 on charges of taking and selling in contravention of the Fisheries Act.
The investigation, Operation Raro, targeted a Nelson family of three who have allegedly been taking paua illegally along the coast for the past five months.
It was understood the paua was on-sold and distributed within the Vietnamese, Cambodian and Chinese communities in Nelson.
The ministry said that half a tonne of paua was taken over the five month period.
Inquiries were continuing and a number of other people would face charges in the coming weeks,
The ministry's Nelson district compliance manager Geoff Clark said the operation reinforced the determination of the ministry to target and apprehend anyone involved with the poaching and possible black marketing of fisheries resources.
- NZPA
