Robert Floyd Tumanako Marsh, 34, appeared in the Dunedin District Court this week and admitted taking pāua for sale without a permit and harvesting six pāua that were undersized.
The charges carry maximum fines of $250,000 and $10,000, respectively.
Court documents revealed the man ran a stall with the sign "Yummy Kai" at the Moana Nui Festival held at the Edgar Centre on March 29.
He was selling cups of creamed pāua for $5 each alongside other food items.
A search warrant of his home turned up 11 frozen, shucked pāua, 32 pāua shells, a container with $711 cash, dive fins and a wetsuit.
Twenty-five of the shells measured less than the legal minimum size for harvesting and six of the frozen pāua were also too small.
Marsh made a total of $1417 at the Moana Nui Festival, but it could not be determined how much of this was from the sale of the pāua.
This week, the self-represented Marsh told the court he had limited means and already had outstanding fines.
Judge June Jelas took this into account, as well as noting he had admitted the offending early in the process.
She fined Marsh $1200, which he said he could pay back at $30 a week.
