A fisher who illegally used scuba gear to poach 1869 pāua near Porirua — 373 times the legal limit — and intended to sell the haul has been sentenced to 10 months' home detention and 300 hours' community work.
Jorden Cedric Paul, 43, was sentenced last Friday on three charges under the Fisheries Act following a guilty plea, after a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Fisheries NZ regional manager central Phil Tasker said Paul used his fishing boat, Aria Maree, to steal the shellfish near Titahi Bay in Porirua, where the daily recreational limit is five pāua at a minimum size of 125mm.
"The pāua was shucked and our investigation found 222 of the shellfish were undersize," Tasker said.
"An aggravating factor was that he used prohibited underwater breathing apparatus enabling him to steal such a large amount."
The offending occurred in June 2025 when Paul and another man - who is still before the court - were gathering shellfish off Wellington's west coast.
Fishery officers stopped the pair when they returned to the boat ramp and inspected their catch, counting and weighing the shucked pāua individually to establish how many were undersize. Just 13 of the pāua taken were still in their shells.
Tasker said the investigation found the pāua was likely intended for sale.
"Mr Paul deliberately stole this pāua, motivated by greed and financial gain," he said.
"None of the shellfish could be returned to the ocean, meaning it will take years for the fishery to recover from the environmental damage."
Paul claimed the stolen seafood was going to be shared with family, but Tasker said poaching in the Wellington region was a serious problem that risked the long-term survivability of the taonga species.
"We would encourage anyone offered a large amount of free seafood not to take it, but to contact us because receiving stolen seafood is also an offence," he said.
Paul's fishing boat, a Toyota Landcruiser, and the fishing gear and equipment he used to harvest the pāua were all forfeited to the Crown.
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