“He intended to sell the pāua, which is illegal,” Jay said.
“Fishery Officers have zero tolerance for this behaviour, which threatens the sustainability of this important shared resource.”
Tata’s son, Biyhan Tata, 26, was sentenced in March to five months’ community detention for his part in the offending, which was diving for the pāua.
The offending was uncovered when a Fishery Officer on patrol saw the pair at the Hikurangi Marine Reserve.
The men hid a sack with pāua in it by a concrete sea barrier.
Fisheries New Zealand worked with police and stopped a vehicle Bruce Tata was in, recovering the sack containing the pāua.
“While Bruce Tata claimed the pāua was being gathered for a social event, we found electronic evidence of pāua sales. Neither of these men held a fishing permit to sell seafood,” Jay said.
“When we have evidence of illegal fishing behaviour, we take action and will hold those responsible to account.
“We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224).”