Crayfish crackdown: Nelson man Joshua Spooner in court over Facebook seafood sales

Crayfish crackdown: Nelson man Joshua Spooner in court over Facebook seafood sales

Joshua Spooner took to social media with a picture of a seafood in a chiller bag and the words "30 each, big ones 50″.

Facebook crayfish seller caught in illegal seafood trade

Image – MPI. A Nelson man who sold crayfish and pāua caught on a recreational dive trip via Facebook has pleaded guilty and become one of 26 people caught illegally trading seafood in 2025, highlighting what MPI says is a serious and ongoing black-market problem. Joshua Spooner knowingly set up a fake social media profile to sell his catch, arranging clandestine carpark and drop-off sales, before fishery officers searched his home and seized evi…