Nine Paua thieves shame all of Nelson

From www.PortFocus.co.nz

According to Geoff Clark, District Compliance Manager for the Ministry of Fisheries, on the afternoon of the 24th January 9 people were spotted by two members of the public at Okiwi Bay taking large quantities of undersized paua. The two members of the public altruistically intervened and provided advice on to the poachers on both size and bag limits for paua.

These good citizens even went to the extent of providing the poachers with a gauge so they could adhere to New Zealand law. In a move labeled as unbelievably arrogant the nine poachers ignored the advice of the two well meaning members of the public and proceeded in stealing paua.

The poachers involved shucked a large quantity of the paua and commenced cooking it up on the beach in a 20 litre pot. In a shocked state of disbelief the two members of the public alerted the local Honorary Kaikoura Fishery Officer to the crimes of the gang of nine. The Fishery Officer quickly responded to the call out but found that prior to his arrival the offenders discarded a large number of shucked paua into the sea. .

Geoff Clark, Ministry of Fisheries District Compliance Manager has told Port Focus said that a decision on just how many of the gang of nine poachers would face court attention due as a result of their poaching has yet to be made.

A search of area and vehicles the group were traveling in located an additional 61 paua, 36 of which were undersize. All of the group were from Nelson. According to Ministry of Fisheries district compliance manager Geoff Clark a decision on how many of the group of nine Nelsonians are to be prosecuted is yet to be made.

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