Greedy bastards, may their genitalia be infested with the fleas of a thousand camels..

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2358803/Fisheries-officers-net-over-900-paua

The ministry would continue to investigate before deciding whether to charge the group

Why do you have to decide to charge them? Either what they have done is illegal and therefore deciding is not an issue, or It's not illegal and you do nothing.
What's the point in having laws and then deciding to not charge them? The reason people do this is because they think they'll get away with it. If everyone was charged when they done rubbish like this perhaps people would think twice.

And why are the shops that are buying this poached seafood not being prosecuted?

cut off their oysters, that's what I say.

It didn't really matter if Michael Jackson was guilty or not - as long as the 'legal' industry made a killing out of all that money he had by dragging it out for as long as possible.

I agree - it is the 'Restaurants' that are instigating the demand for poaching. Think about it, here in Australia, Commercial catches are becoming expensive (especially the better tasting wild stuff) - so why not send out a few 'who you knows' to bring in a weekly catch where you don't have to pay for excess. Restaurants are more or less using 'weekender fishermen' (Recreational) as unofficial commercial fishermen. The real Commercial Industry hates this, because these Recreational 'Poachers' are undercutting an already tough industry.
Due to excess in Supermarkets being thrown to waste (average 70%), where scroungers and poor people aren't allowed to retrieve, there is motions being made to begin an 'Ordering System' whereby we order what we want via the internet and it is delievered. In a way it is an old system, but the cost of delievery is far cheaper than the costs to cover that wasted 70% that sits untouched upon shelves. By placing orders, the Supermarkets know what to pay for upfront. This eventually moves down the chain to the fact that that is another 70% of Tuna that doesn't need to be caught for that fortnight.
Cooking shows are becoming cutthroat and demand for 'quality' produce is on the rise. You can't tell me that Doyle's in Sydney doesn't pay below the table as well as above for that very large that was caught off New Zealand - reputation of delivering large is everything!
If I had a large Cray out of four other medium size, I could pop down the raod to some Restaurants and offer it for $20. Found a box of Crays, far inland - someone was obviously unsuccessful in selling em at Castle Hill.

...Restuarants!

WTF has Michael Jackson got to do with Paua?

He was the ring leader. If you ever see professionals chuck Paua they all wear 1 glove.

Nothing at all. Paua are black.

Very funny - didn't think about the white glove.
...but i mean why legal systems take a while to process = more money!

I just read that the Fisheries folks caught a guy with more than his quota of Paua. He had cut the bottom off a dive tank and filled it up with paua, and then placed the bottom back on, with the cut hidden with a tank protector. When they interviewed him he said that it was done to "hide it from yous", but that he thought it was ok because all his mates did it.