Man jailed for part in paua poaching operation

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A Dunedin man has been sent to jail for his part in a paua poaching operation.

Ryan Karl Tapsell, 40, was sentenced in Dunedin District Court on Friday to four years in prison after being convicted of 15 charges under the Fisheries Act 1996.

They related to falsely obtaining a customary authorisation to take paua, illegally taking paua and selling paua without a permit.

Two vehicles, a boat, an outboard motor, cellphones and dive gear used in the offending were also forfeited to the Crown.

The charges followed an investigation by the Ministry for Primary Industries into a group taking excess paua from a closed Otago commercial area and selling them to fish and chip shops.

The ministry said Tapsell secured customary authorisations for fictitious events which allowed him to take more than the daily limit.

Almost 1600 paua shells were recovered from his address. He is believed to have sold between 395kg and 526kg of paua meat.

Text message information showed Tapsell was selling his paua for $22-$25 a kilogram, netting the group a profit of between $9085 and $12098.

Ministry spokesman Murray Pridham said it was good to see the courts taking a strong stance.

"Black market dealings in paua are effectively theft of a national resource," he said.

"Poachers not only risk fish stocks but they are stealing from their communities and making it harder for compliant recreational fishers to enjoy fishing."

The national paua limit is 10 per person per day. Paua must be a minimum of 125 millimetres, except in some parts of Taranaki.