Abalone
There is a worldwide black market in abalone meat collection and export. In New Zealand, where abalone is called pāua in the Māori language, this can be a particular problem. The right to harvest pāua can be granted legally under Māori customary rights. When such permits are overused, it is difficult to police. The legal daily limit is ten pāua per diver with a minimum shell length of 125 mm. Many Ministry of Fisheries officers strictly enforce the limit with the help of the police. Pāua' poaching' is a major industry in New Zealand, with many thousands of abalones being stolen, mostly undersized. Convictions have caused the removal of diving gear, boats, and motor vehicles, fines, and, in rare cases, imprisonment. The Ministry of Fisheries expects in the year 2004/05, nearly 1000 tons of pāua will be poached, with 75% of that being undersized.