Two men have been caught with 180 times the legal limit of pāua in Wellington - an illegal haul Fisheries is calling one of the biggest in recent times.

Fisheries officers were inspecting a vessel that had just landed at Tītahi Bay in Porirua on Tuesday, when they found 1863 pāua on board. The harvest limit is five per person.

The two men were “likely to face charges under the Fisheries Act”, Fisheries New Zealand regional manager Phil Tasker said. The case is still being investigated.

Fisheries estimated the amount of pāua the pair had was worth about $25,000. All the pāua had already been shucked.

Two men were caught with 1863 pāua at Titahi Bay in Wellington on Tuesday 24, 2025. Photo / Fisheries

Tasker said it was incredibly disappointing.

The Ministry of Primary Industries provided a photograph of some of the pāua - almost the entire surface of a workbench - and this was only a fifth of what was found.

“This fishery is a shared resource, and the rules are there to protect its sustainability for everyone. Our message for those who think they can steal this shared resource is that we will pursue offending and there will be consequences,” he said.

“Most fishers go out there wanting to do the right thing and follow the rules. Offending on this scale is incredibly disappointing to see.

“There is a maximum daily limit of five pāua per fisher in this area, which gives some context to the scale of this offending, and the potential damage it could do to the pāua population.”

The Ministry of Primary Industries wanted people to report suspected illegal activity, encouraging informants to phone 0800 4 POACHER.

“The best way to stay on top of the rules for the area you’re fishing or gathering shellfish in is to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app,” Tasker said.