A Porirua poacher caught with 619 pāua has been jailed for two years and six months following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Ruteru Sufia, 63, was sentenced in the Porirua District Court today on four charges under the Fisheries Act and one charge under the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations. The Court also banned him from all forms of fishing for three years.
In November 2022, Fishery Officers carried out a search warrant at Mr Sufia’s home and found 65 pāua in a freezer along with 554 shucked pāua in another freezer.
“This was a large amount of pāua, more than 60 times the daily catch limit and more than 30 times the accumulation limit. Also, 45 of the pāua found were undersize,” says Fisheries New Zealand regional manager, Fisheries Compliance, Phil Tasker.
While on bail on those charges, Mr Sufia was caught with a further 48 pāua, with 29 less than the minimum legal size. Mr Sufia was sentenced today on all matters.
“Mr Sufia intended to sell this seafood, which is also illegal. We have zero tolerance for poachers – they affect the sustainability of our shared fisheries, and they affect people who legitimately trade in seafood,” said Mr Tasker.
“Mr Sufia claimed the pāua in his freezer was for a wedding in Auckland, an explanation the court didn’t believe. Mr Sufia’s offending was deliberate. He wasn’t concerned with legal size and catch limits; he was driven by financial gain from poaching this pāua.
When we find evidence of illegal fishing – you can be assured that we will investigate and depending on the circumstances, place the matter before the court.”
The Ministry said Mr Sufia had a long record of breaking fisheries rules, with more than 35 offences dealt with by MPI over a number of years.
MPI encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 476 224).
