Several people caught in a Ministry of Fisheries paua poaching operation this year have yet to be charged, even though those who bought the illegal paua from them have been convicted.
The ministry spent six months monitoring a group allegedly illegally harvesting large quantities of paua from the coast north of Tomahawk Beach last summer, before shutting down the operation in March.
It was believed the group was selling the paua illegally to fish shops in Dunedin.
Three shop owners have been convicted in the Dunedin District Court of various charges around the purchasing and possessing of illegal paua and sentenced this week to fines of $7500, $5000 and $3000. Another offender will be sentenced at the end of the month, with a fifth person yet to plead.
Ministry of Fisheries field operation manager Murray Pridham said the intention had been to have all those involved charged and heard in court at the same time.
"There is a lot of complex information and the volume of information around the poachers has meant that could not happen."
Also, the alleged poachers would be facing more serious charges, so that had to be carefully considered.
"There was eight or nine months of investigating, so that is a lot of information to consider."
He hoped a decision would be made on the charges in "the not too distant future".
The five purchasers were able to be charged, as their cases were more straightforward, he said. Mr Pridham was "very pleased" at the level of fines imposed by the court on the purchasers.
"They are a very good deterrent to that sort of behaviour."
Purchasing illegal fish fuelled the black market in paua and contributed to the continued cycle of poaching.
"It undermines any legitimate commercial enterprise and the country's export earnings."
