Breaking fishing rules is proving to be a costly decision for four fishermen, who are facing fines for taking illegal catches from Tauranga waters.

A sea patrol around Tauranga Harbour, Motiti Island, Town Point and Pukehina busted five fishers, two for taking more snapper than the nine per day allocation and two free divers for having paua smaller than the 125mm legal size.

MAF Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel District compliance manager Brendon Mikkelsen says these four offenders were fined $250 each.

A fifth person, who had an unmarked longline, received a formal warning.

Brendon says the patrol saw fishery officers check more than 50 fishers and divers, with most obeying all the fisheries rules.

He says the vast majority of fishers are keen to keep to the rules and help ensure a healthy fishery for the future.

'Local fishers are currently enjoying great snapper fishing in the Bay of Plenty and we are determined to ensure that continues.

'It's important that everyone who goes fishing fully understands the rules around the type of fishing that they choose to do.”

He says there is no excuse for not knowing the rules as 'easy-to-understand information brochures are widely available”.

The Ministry is continuing to conduct regular sea patrols throughout the greater Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel District.

Brendon says they also have a professional team of Honorary Fishery Officers working around the district.

'These dedicated men and women generously volunteer many hundreds of hours of their personal time to help ensure the future suitability of our local fishery.”

Anyone who sees any unlawful activity (including suspected poaching and people illegally offering seafood for sale) is urged to phone the Ministry's confidential free hotline: 0800 4 POACHER (0800 4 76224) immediately.