They knew there were plenty of paddle crabs available along the Kāpiti coastline but getting customers to embrace a new taste experience would take time.
Matt would fish in the morning and then in the afternoon take his catch into Wellington to sell.
There were a few days when he would return with unsold crabs which would be released back into the sea.
Sam Whittaker ready to haul in another fish. Photo / Supplied
It was stressful time for the couple as they watched their thriving business cut right back.
And it was a bitter pill to swallow, especially as an individual catch entitlement system could have been introduced instead.
"It would have helped everyone to grow their business and not be so penalised and chopped right back to those years," Narina said.
It was a brutal time for the business.
"All our boats went and all the staff got fired," Matt said.
The couple went back to where they started — just the two of them, catching crabs, processing them in the factory, and selling the product to their main restaurants.
