A fisher who poached 1,869 pāua intended for sale and illegally used scuba gear to harvest the shellfish has been placed on home detention for 10 months and ordered to perform 300 hours’ community work.
Following a guilty plea, Jorden Cedric Paul, 43, was sentenced on three charges under the Fisheries Act, after a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
“Mr Paul used his fishing boat, Aria Maree, to steal 1869 pāua near Titahi Bay in Porirua, where the daily recreational limit is 5 pāua at a minimum size of 125mm,” says Fisheries New Zealand regional manager central, Phil Tasker.
“The pāua was shucked and our investigation found 222 of the shellfish were undersize. An aggravating factor was that he used prohibited underwater breathing apparatus enabling him to steal such a large amount.
“Mr Paul deliberately stole this pāua, motivated by greed and financial gain. None of the shellfish could be returned to the ocean, meaning it will take years for the fishery to recover from the environmental damage.”
In June 2025, Mr Paul and another man, who is still before the court, were gathering shellfish off Wellington’s west coast. When they returned to the boat ramp, they were stopped by fishery officers who inspected their catch. The shucked pāua was counted and weighed individually to establish how many were undersize. Just 13 of the pāua taken were still in shells, the Ministry said in a statement.
“Our investigation found this pāua was likely intended for sale,” Mr Tasker said.
“Pāua poaching in the Wellington region is a serious problem and this behaviour risks the long-term survivability and sustainability of this taonga species.
“Mr Paul claimed the stolen seafood was going to be shared with family. 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.
“This was deliberate theft of our shared resources and when we find evidence of illegal fishing, we take action before the court – and there are consequences.”
Mr 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.
MPI encourages the public to report any suspected illegal activity through the 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224).
