Paua, cockles seized at beach

AUCKLAND: More than 150 undersized paua and nearly 3000 cockles taken illegally have been returned to the sea after operations by fisheries officers and police.

Fisheries NZ received calls to its poacher line at the weekend about groups of people gathering cockles at Eastern Beach in Auckland, where gathering shellfish is prohibited.

The ban was to replenish stocks and the area was clearly signposted, Fisheries NZ said.

Fisheries officers found a man about to load a large bag of cockles into a vehicle at the southern end of the beach.

‘‘Officers inspected the contents and found 2216 cockles, 10 whelks and 10 snails,’’ Ministry for Primary Industries compliance director Gary Orr said in a statement.

Those gathering the shellfish told officers they were not aware they were not allowed to collect shellfish there and had not seen the signs, he said.

‘‘Our officers pointed out there were 16 MPI signs indicating the shellfish closure — at the beach and on approaching the beach.’’

The group also did not know the daily limits for taking shellfish from Auckland and Coromandel beaches that were not closed, he said. The alleged offenders may face prosecution. — RNZ