Ten people in Northland are facing prosecution for taking large hauls of undersized paua.
Ministry for Primary Industries compliance officers carried out a three day operation at Kawerua, south of Hokianga.
The Ministry's Northland compliance manager Darren Edwards said it was extremely disappointing to see such a valuable resource being taken.
He said officers would be out in force this summer, and 25 people had already been found breaking the limit of 10 paua per person a day, or the minimum size of 125mm.
The most extreme case was one group of five people, with 250 paua all under size.
Mr Edwards said Northland's paua stock faced a growing threat with this sort of gathering.
