‘Deliberate plundering’ of paua at Tauroa

It was people like Raymond Victor John Randall who were putting paua stocks at risk.

So Judge Keith de Ridder told the 56-year-old unemployed beneficiary in the Kaitaia District Court last week, after convicting him on charges of possessing excess and undersized paua. Randall was sentenced to 150 hours’ community work, and forfeited his catch bag, an orange float, a pair of fins, a mask, snorkel and knife.

According to the prosecution he went diving alone at Tauroa (Reef Point, Ahipara) on December 4. Stopped by a Fisheries officer, he was found to have 94 paua, all of which were smaller than the legal minimum. The maximum daily limit per person was 10.

Randall told the officer that he had collected all the paua. He knew the daily catch and size limits, but had not counted or measured those he had taken. He did not produce a customary permit.

Judge de Ridder told Randall that while there was no evidence of commercial intent, he had been completely oblivious to the need to count and measure his catch.

This was “quite deliberate plundering” of a resource that was increasingly difficult to “catch,” and it was people like him who were putting the stock at risk.

Counsel told the court that the defendant was extremely remorseful, and accepted that there would be consequences. He was a beneficiary and cared for his elderly mother, however, and could not afford to pay a fine.

The Crown submitted that the starting point for a fine should be $2000, Randall having displayed total disregard for the regulations.

The maximum penalties for possessing excess and undersized paua are fines of $20,000 and $10,000 respectively, and/or communitybased sentence.