Humans & conservation
During the early 20th Century, Sagmariasus verrauxi and Jasus edwardsii were one of the cheapest seafoods in New Zealand, with European New Zealanders preferring the taste of British crayfish, Austropotamobius pallipes. Large hauls of Sagmariasus verrauxi were harvested in Northland, either sold cheaply or used as chickenfeed. Sagmariasus verrauxi was occasionally considered a pest that impacted fishing numbers, leading fishermen to occasionally destroy the crayfish. Populations of Sagmariasus verrauxi declined by the 1970s.