A Christchurch man has been sentenced to four months' home detention after illegally taking 486 pāua from a marine reserve near Kaikōura with the intention of selling it.
Bruce Honey Tata, 48, was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court on Monday following a prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Fisheries New Zealand’s regional manager south Garreth Jay said Tata and his son Biyhan, 28, took the pāua from Hikurangi Marine Reserve, where taking shellfish is prohibited.
A fishery officer on patrol saw the two men hiding a sack containing pāua behind a concrete barrier.
Police and Fisheries New Zealand later stopped a vehicle Tata was in, recovering the pāua.
Jay said Tata and his son had stolen the pāua, 159 of which were undersize, with the intention of illegally selling them.
"While Bruce Tata claimed the pāua was being gathered for a social event, we found electronic evidence of pāua sales. Neither of these men held a fishing permit to sell seafood,” Jay said.
"Fishery officers have zero tolerance for this behaviour, which threatens the sustainability of this important shared resource.”
Tata was sentenced on one charge under the Fisheries Act, with the court also ordering he attend and complete an appropriate Tikanga programme or counselling.
Tata's son Bihyan was sentenced in March to five months' community detention for his part in the offending, which was diving for the pāua.
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