Locals at a Far North beach have banned all diving for kai moana in the wake of one of Northland's biggest illegal paua busts.
Last week the Ministry of Fisheries said four Kaikohe men, aged between 18 and 39, had travelled to Takou Bay, 20km north of Kerikeri, with what appeared to be the intention of taking as much paua as they could carry.
The men were found with 715 paua, more than 17 times their maximum daily allowance of 10 per diver. All were undersized, with the smallest paua measuring 78mm. The minimum legal length is 125mm.
Clinton Rameka of Takou Bay said people abusing the privilege of coming to the beach by pillaging "absurd amounts" of undersized paua could have been going on for some time, but last week's bust was the last straw.
Local residents had banned all diving for kai moana with immediate effect and until future notice. The scale of last week's paua theft was "sickening and unbelievable", he said.
Takou Bay shareholders would discuss the issue at their AGM later this month and consider a more permanent ban or a rahui.
Not only was poaching depriving future generations of kai moana, it also showed disrespect for the whanau at Takou Bay, whose land beach users cross. "At the end of the day we're the kaitiaki of the area. We have to look after it for future generations."
Takou Bay was a tapu area and had been a food basket for the people of Northland for centuries - feeding countless tangihanga, weddings, whanau gatherings and meetings - but that was threatened by people who thought only of themselves, Mr Rameka said.
"The free ride for all kuare [ignorant] people is over. We will be monitoring all vehicles and visitors into our rohe of Takou Bay."
The 715 paua taken last week was enough to feed eight tangihanga, Mr Clinton said.
Ministry of Fisheries Northland field operations manager Darren Edwards said last week's paua seizure at Takou Bay was one of the region's biggest in recent times.
Taking so much was a clear case of fish theft, and showed the men had no regard for the law or the sustainability of the resource.
Paua poaching in Northland was usually confined to the remote reefs along the west coast between Kawerua and Ahipara, but the Takou Bay incident suggested offending was becoming more apparent on the east coast.
All four would be charged with serious offences against the Fisheries Act and faced fines of up to $250,000, as well as possible loss of their dive gear and vehicle.
Report suspicious activity by calling 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224).