POACHER JAILED

The Ministry for Primary Industries says the jailing of a Porirua pa¯ ua poacher will send a strong message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

Fifty-six-year-old Ruteru Sufia was sentenced to 18 months when he appeared before the Porirua District Court after previously pleading guilty to illegally taking 366 pa¯ ua, 70 of them undersized. He also forfeited his vehicle and gear, and was banned from fishing for three years.

The court heard that Sufia had been found with 145 shucked pa¯ ua in his backpack as he walked to his car, and was apprehended in the same place the next day when he returned to collect the remaining 221.