Fishers face prosecution after being caught by Fishery Officers with 45 times the daily snapper limit.
Late last week (12 May) two MPI Fishery Officers were conducting boat inspections at the Halfmoon Bay boat ramp in East Auckland. During these checks they found a group of five recreational fishers with what appeared to be a large haul of fish on board.
“A closer inspection by our Fishery Officers discovered they had 348 fish. Most (317) were Snapper, with a total weight of just under 200kg. Ninety-five of the Snapper they had were undersize,” says Andre Espinoza, MPI’s West North Island Regional Manager Fish Compliance.
The five fishers will likely face prosecution under the Fisheries Act and their vessel has been seized by Ministry for Primary Industries.
The daily limit for catching Snapper on the East Coast of Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf is seven per person with a minimum size of 30cm. “We work hard to protect fishing resources so that current and future generations can enjoy catching a feed of kaimoana. When people take this obviously illegal haul of fish – along with many of them being undersize – they threaten the sustainability of the fishery,” Espinoza says.
“The rules are there for a reason and when we find evidence of deliberate rule-breaking, you can be assured we will take action,” says Espinoza.
MPI encourages all recreational fishers to know the fishing rules for your area. The best way of doing this is to download the NZ Fishing Rules app
If you become aware of any suspicious fishing activity, call MPI on: 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24) or email ncc@mpi.govt.nz
Source: MPI
