Vehicles seized in paua poaching bust - MFish press release

Vehicles seized in paua poaching bust Ministry of Fisheries press release - 23 January 2009

Members of a Canterbury paua poaching ring have had their vehicles seized by the Ministry of Fisheries after fishery officers busted the group with more than 500 undersized paua allegedly destined for the black market.

The houses of eight men from Christchurch were searched on Wednesday and the two vehicles allegedly involved in the poaching were seized.

The alleged poaching team were recently busted by fishery officers on the south coast of Banks Peninsula where they had hidden their catch after seeing the officers. The fishery officers later found 517 freshly shelled paua stashed in the surrounding bush.

"The real concern was the very small size of the paua, they had simply taken every paua they saw," said Christchurch fishery officer, John Griffiths.

"This is the largest haul of paua this summer and it's suspected the paua, mostly undersized, were destined for the black market.

"The favourable weather in Canterbury this summer has provided ideal conditions for poachers. There have been some very calm sea conditions which are perfect for collecting paua.

"The best thing the public can do is call our 0800 4 POACHER hotline if they see any suspicious fishing activity. In particular we need vehicle registration numbers which are extremely helpful in tracking potential poachers," said John.

No charges have been laid yet but it's expected the eight men will face serious charges under the Fisheries Act 1996.

ENDS

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