KEY POINTS:
The seizure of 608 toheroa is a "pretty good haul", says the Fisheries Ministry.
Kaikohe police seized 608 of the protected shellfish from two men after a tip-off that they were selling them at a carpark in the town. A vehicle was also seized.
The matter was handed over to the ministry and an investigation has been launched.
The ministry's Whangarei district compliance manager, Darren Edwards, said anything over 100 toheroa was a major haul.
Taking any toheroa is illegal, except under a customary permit, and as far back as the 1980s the limit per person was 10.
The shellfish will be kept as evidence and are being refrigerated at a ministry storage facility in Whangarei.
Fisheries officer Marcie Cooke said harvesting and selling toheroa was an offence under the Fisheries Act.
"They were prohibited a long time ago because of diminishing stock and it's illegal to even disturb them.
"Anyone caught selling toheroa could face a five-year jail term or a $250,000 fine and forfeiture of property."
Ministry officials were expected to interview the men before deciding whether any charges would be laid.
Shell shock
* Toheroa were once so plentiful that they were harvested by horse-drawn plough.
* Commercial harvesting peaked about 1940 at 77 tonnes.
* Commercial harvesting ended in 1969.
* By 1980 the gathering of toheroa was banned from all Northland beaches.
* The only harvesting still permitted is Maori customary take and occasional one-day recreational seasons.
* Adult toheroa live on exposed sandy beaches about 150mm to 300mm below the sand in the mid-tidal range.
* Toheroa typically live seven to eight years, and sometimes up to 18.
* The toheroa, Paphies ventricosa, is a native, algae-eating bivalve related to the pipi and the tuatua.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)
