Enforcement patrols across the Eastern Bay of Plenty over summer uncovered a series of unlawful shellfish takes, with one of the more serious cases involving a person caught with 779 green lipped mussels gathered from a closed section of Ōhiwa Harbour.
That closure covers part of the harbour, has been in place since November 2024, and runs for two years. It was established at the request of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa to honour a traditional rāhui and give an area of mussel beds the chance to recover following reseeding work.
Fisheries New Zealand district manager for Gisborne and Whakatāne, Jordan Cooper, said the closure exists to rebuild local stocks and that people who disregard it slow that recovery work.
The 779-mussel case was not the only one officers dealt with. A separate individual was found with 92 green lipped mussels taken from the same closed area, while another person had collected 154 green lipped mussels from an open section of the harbour. The daily limit for green lipped mussels in open areas is 50 per person.
A further inspection found a group of fishers had taken 2,771 pipi from an open area of the harbour. The daily limit for pipi is 150 per person. Fisheries New Zealand seized the group's vessel, and prosecution is considered likely.
Fisheries New Zealand is urging anyone planning to gather shellfish to check the current rules beforehand. Temporary closures and rāhui can apply to specific zones within a harbour even when nearby areas remain open. The free NZ Fishing Rules app lists current limits, active closures, and gear restrictions, and continues to work after downloading even without mobile coverage.
