More bad news for paua poachers

Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley today announced a new move to close the net around greedy paua poachers.

From October 1 the “accumulation defence” – claiming that large numbers of paua in your freezer are the result of many previous days fishing – will no longer wash.

“For years the accumulation defence has been used by fish thieves, black market operators and those abusing their catch entitlements to avoid prosecution. Those days are over,” Mr Heatley said.

The Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 1986 will be changed for every area (except Fiordland) to restrict the amount of paua a person can have in their possession on any day.

This will be done by setting an accumulation limit of 20 paua, which is twice the daily bag limit, or the equivalent meat weight of paua (2.5 kgs). Maori customary rights are not affected by this change.

“The Government has sought to achieve a balance between restricting paua poaching and black market activity, and not being unreasonable to legitimate recreational fishers,” Mr Heatley said.

“Having assessed the submissions we received on the appropriate level, we believe that balance has been achieved.”

The new regulation comes as prosecution of a major paua poaching ring that had been operating in the Wellington region is close to successful conclusion and the Ministry of Fisheries’ strike rate against opportunistic poachers is improving.

The accumulation limit will help further with compliance activity at the points of storage, transport and export. The Ministry of Fisheries will work with Customs New Zealand to restrict the personal export of paua to the 20 paua or 2.5 kg meat weight accumulation limit in order to stop the export of large quantities of illegally caught paua.

Paua fishers are advised to carefully label their catch to make sure they meet the new rule, noting particularly the date of catch on bags and other containers.

“It comes back to the old adage, fish for a feed, not for the freezer,” Mr Heatley said.

If members of the public see any activity they think is suspicious, including large accumulations of paua in fresh or frozen form, they should call 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476224).

Q&A

How will this change impact the behaviour of recreational paua fishers?

The new rule should not unduly affect the behaviour of those recreational paua fishers who “fish for a feed, not the freezer.” It will, however, remove the ability to accumulate or stockpile large quantities of paua which could be used for illegal sale.

How will the rule be policed?

It will be enforced through routine inspections of recreational fishers and by conducting media and public education campaigns. The Ministry of Fisheries will also advise the Police and Customs of the new regulations and ensure there is an operating procedure in place if quantities of paua in excess of the regulation are discovered by either of these agencies.

Can recreational paua fishers expect regular visits at their homes?

Recreational fishers will not see any discernable increase in patrols or visits to their homes without suspicion of wrongdoing. An initial effort will be undertaken in October to make sure that anyone encountered in the paua fishery is aware of the rule and its implications.

Why isn’t the change being made in Fiordland?

The Fiordland Marine Area already has a more restricted accumulation rule of one daily bag limit of 10 paua. This rule was put in place at the request of the Guardians of Fiordland and is to limit the impact of recreational fishing on paua stocks in Fiordland, rather than being a direct anti-poaching measure.

Background

The rules around paua fishing as they currently stand can be summarised as:

Size – see species and regional variations at www.fish.govt.nz/en-nz/Recreational/Fishery+Management+Areas/default.htm

Daily bag – 10 per day of each species (except where lower limits apply e.g. Akaroa Taiapure and Mataitai Reserves)

Paua must be: landed in a measurable state

Paua must not be: taken using underwater breathing apparatus

Tips

1 Measure before you take

2 Land intact (in the shell)

3 Don’t keep a supply in the freezer (“fish for a feed”)

4 Keep paua in containers with the date harvested

5 If taking paua out of the country, don’t take more than double the daily limit