After the arrests of two alleged Bay of Plenty paua poachers, the region's fisheries officers are reinforcing the message that poaching will not be tolerated.



The alleged offenders were nabbed at Mount Maunganui on September 4 with more than 180 paua.
Fisheries officers say the paua catch was well over the legal limit of 10 per person and the majority were undersized.
Brendon Mikkelsen, Bay of Plenty fisheries compliance manager, says these offenders were particularly uncooperative towards officers and did not appear to care they were taking precious paua stocks.
He says offending of this scale would not be tolerated and that his team would continue to be vigilant during land and sea patrols around the Bay of Plenty coastline.
'With the public's help we will ensure that our vulnerable paua stocks are maintained and sustained for the future,” says Brendon.