Flaxmere man Jeremy Hepi made headlines for the wrong reasons this week.
The 38-year-old appeared in court after taking 300 undersized paua and attempting to gap it from fishery officers.
No one knows why he did it. If it were to feed the family, there'd be a modicum of sympathy for his actions.
Yet the more likely motivation was alluded to by Ministry for Primary Industries Hawke's Bay/Wairarapa District compliance manager, Ray McKay, who said large seizures were likely to be servicing a "substantial black market trade".
"That trade spans local, nationwide and international markets," he said. "The implications of black market poaching cannot be underestimated. They include seriously compromising New Zealand's ability to manage the paua stock sustainably, and an annual loss of revenue to New Zealand in excess of $10m. It also restricts the rights of both recreational and customary fishers."