Two men in Hawke’s Bay will face charges under the Fisheries Act after being caught with 353 mostly undersized pāua.

Fishery officers were called to Farm Rd near Blackhead Beach by Central Hawke’s Bay police. They had stopped a car on Tuesday about 9am due to complaints about its driving by members of the public.

Fisheries New Zealand district manager, of fisheries compliance, Mike Sutton said the two men would likely face charges under the Fisheries Act.

“This was a lot of pāua, and it’s disappointing to find people blatantly breaking the rules,” he said.

“The rules are there for a reason – to protect the sustainability of our shared fisheries."

He said people could expect to see Fishery Officers inspecting catches and enforcing the rules throughout summer.

“We’re grateful to our colleagues at NZ Police for their quick action and all the pāua will be returned to the ocean.“

Sutton said if people were going fishing today or throughout summer, the best thing to do was to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app.

“It’ll show you the rules in any area you intend to fish, as well as restrictions and closures.”