A diver from Motiti Island is accused of being the source of illegal paua and crayfish used in an illegal Facebook ready meals operation.

Compliance officers from the Ministry for Primary Industries searched a Hamilton address on May 16 where the seafood was processed for sale, or added to meals.

The coastline of Motiti Island off the Bay of Plenty coast.

The raid follows a two month investigation into suspected selling of black-market paua and crayfish prepared meals through Facebook.

During the search MPI officers found 14 kg of minced paua, a number of crayfish and some frozen fish all taken illegally.

MPI says the seafood was collected by a recreational diver at Motiti Island, off the coast of Tauranga, and the premises used to process the seafood and meals is not a registered food business.

It is illegal to sell seafood that has not been taken under a current commercial fishing permit. It is also illegal to sell food that has been processed for human consumption outside of a risk management program.

A RMP sets the standard for food handling and ensures that any food sold to the public is fit for human consumption.

'The cooking area was disgusting,” says MPI Manukau District Compliance Manager Michael Greenstreet.

'I don't know how people weren't seriously ill from eating this food.”

He warns people not to buy seafood from Facebook unless they know it has come from a legitimate source, or buy home cooked meals from Facebook - as there is no guarantee that the food has been handled correctly and they could get sick from eating it.

'This type of offending is disappointing to see,” says Michael.

'Firstly it depletes valuable stocks of paua and crayfish from an area that is still dealing with the aftermath of the Rena grounding and it puts the public at risk of food related illnesses by not adhering to standard food safety practices.”

The investigation is continuing, and offenders may face charges under the Fisheries Act 1996 with a maximum penalty of up to five years imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000, and the Animal Products Act 1999 with penalties up to $100,000 and/or up to two years imprisonment.