A Gisborne man stopped by fisheries officers for paua poaching ate the evidence in a bid to avoid arrest.
But it didn't work and in Gisborne District Court this week Ivan Harrison, 51, was convicted of obstructing a fishery officer.
He was sentenced to 100 hours community serviceordered to forfeit his vehicle.
Harrison, was seen by fisheries officers carrying sacks of seafood to his vehicle at Kaiti Beach near Gisborne in July, the Ministry of Fisheries said in a statement today.
He drove directly towards the fisheries checkpoint before swerving around it and speeding off.
The officers visited his home, but Harrison had thrown the sack from his vehicle as he left the beach.
A search of the beach failed to locate the sack because Harrison had returned and consumed its contents while the fisheries officers were getting a warrant.
Judge Robert Wolff said taking undersize paua never gave fish stocks a chance to recover.
He said the manner in which Harrison used the vehicle and returned to collect the undersize paua were aggravating factors.
