A gang-affilliated poacher and other illegal divers have been issued fines after authorities seized a large haul of illegally caught seafood over the wekend.
The 33-year old had been wanted by both the police and Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) for months, authorities said in a statement today. He and the others were caught diving and gathering seafood at Paku Hill in Tairua, Coromandel.
Sgt Will Hamilton, the officer in charge of Whangamata, described the arrests as a combination of "luck and good police and MPI teamwork".
Police were notified by a member of the public of suspicious behaviour from a group of men at Paku Hill.
Police officers, along with a fishery officer from MPI, waited six hours for the divers to emerge after devising a plan to safely intercept them. All of the men involved were taken into custody.
As a result, 150 paua, 284 kina and five undersized crayfish were seized and returned to the ocean. Diving equipment and a vehicle were also seized.
Mr Hamilton says the police have the authority to exercise powers under the Fisheries Act to enforce laws that would normally be handled by MPI officers.
"Many people are not aware that police have powers under the Fisheries Act and can in remote areas exercise them when MPI officers are not close enough.
"On this occasion, we were lucky to have our MPI colleague and we are grateful for an excellent inter-agency collaboration and result."
In total, MPI issued $2750 worth of fines to the divers involved.
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