Fisheries New Zealand's Gisborne/Whakatāne district manager, Jordan Cooper, says offenders will be prosecuted.
Fisheries New Zealand officers in Whakatāne caught a person with 779 green-lipped mussels taken from the closed area, he says.
“Other people who had their catch inspected were found with 92 green-lipped mussels taken from the closed area and another person with 154 green-lipped mussels taken from an open area."
The daily limit per person for Green-lipped mussels is 50.
The Harbour is seeing the poaching of other kai moana as well. “Another group of fishers who had their catch inspected were found with 2771 pipi they had taken from an open area of Ōhiwa Harbour,” he says.
Harvesting pipi is limited to 150 a day per person.
"When we find evidence of fishing rules being deliberately broken, we will take action,” says Cooper.
The closure has been in place from 13 November, 2024 until 12 November 2026. (IMAGE SUPPLIED: MPI)
In November 2024, a two-year closure to the harvest of mussels was placed over an area of Ōhiwa Harbour. Te Rūnanaga Ngāti Awa requested the closure to boost an area of the Harbour where mussel beds have begun reseeding.
Cooper says it’s disappointing to see people taking mussels from an area that was closed to rebuild mussel beds.
He encourages the community to report any suspected illegal activity to the Ministry for Primary Industries poacher line on 0800476224.
1XX have approached Ōhiwa Harbour for comment.
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