Two men have each received $500 infringement notices after they were found taking 43 totally protected toheroa on 90 Mile Beach.
The toheroa fishery was closed across New Zealand 35 years ago, after numbers began to plummet. Ministry for Primary Industries spokesman Steve Rudsdale said the taking of a "very large number" was extremely disappointing, especially given that the shellfish were just beginning to re-establish themselves on 90 Mile.
![One of the toheroa, easily distinguishable from tuatua.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/SMBUT7P3UTGY2FPY7XXALUM7M4.jpg?auth=f7f3c495906c3bd8c74bc8f756102413a3e5e97119d92dba978791c0f426fec5&width=16&height=22&quality=70&smart=true)
"It's heart-breaking, really. If this sort of illegal take continues, it won't bode well for a fishery that is already very fragile. Even disturbing toheroa can have an extremely detrimental effect on them," Mr Rudsdale said.
"We have observed a resurgence of toheroa on 90 Mile Beach, but their numbers are still very low. They're off-limits for a very good reason."