A pair of snorkelers caught with more than nine times the legal limit of undersized paua have been dealt $1500 fines.

James Francis Grant, 20, of Mount Maunganui, and Marsh Tatarama Pearson, 20, of Tauranga, both pleaded guilty to charges of taking too many paua in Tauranga District Court yesterday.

The men had been snorkelling near the entrance to Tauranga Harbour at the base of Mount Maunganui on September 25, gathering 100 paua between them.

The daily recreational limit for paua is 10 per person. All 100 paua were under the minimum size of 125mm.

When their catch was checked by Ministry for Primary Industries compliance officers, both men stated they were unaware of the regulations relating to size and daily limit of paua.

One of the men's catch bags had an official paua measurer in it.

MPI Waikato/Bay of Plenty district compliance manager Brendon Mikkelsen says ignorance of the rules is not a defence in fishing offences.

'It's a fisher's obligation to know the rules for the area they are fishing. There are many ways to be informed,” he says.

Information of all limits and sizes including closures and other rules can be found on the MPI website at: www.mpi.govt.nz

Fishing rules pamphlets are available at MPI offices and at many fishing shops. Alternatively, text 9889 to have the NZ Fishing Rules App sent to your smart phone.

MPI encourages people to report any suspicious fishing activity to: 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224). All calls are confidential.