People taking cockles from a closed beach, undersize and excess pāua and green lipped mussels cop thousands of dollars in fines over summer.
Summer brought large fines to some recreational fishers who broke the rules there to ensure sustainable fisheries into the future.
“It’s like burning money – you wouldn’t do that, and yet not following the rules in many situations has a similar result,” says Fisheries New Zealand, Acting Fisheries Compliance Director, Niamh Murphy.
Looking back over summer, in December a 42-year-old Auckland woman was fined $750 for taking 221 cockles from the closed Cockle Bay at Eastern Beach, following an appearance in the Manukau District Court.
A 31-year-old Blenheim man was fined $1,000 in the District Court for being in possession of 47 excess pāua, taken from Little Waikawa Bay. The man was diving with a friend and the pair were entitled to a total of 10 pāua – they had 57.
Also, in December, a 26-year-old Taranaki man was fined $2000 in the Hawera District Court for being in possession of 37 undersize pāua he took from the Pihama area. The man’s 33-year-old fishing partner was fined $2500 for being in possession of 48 undersize pāua, taken from the same area.
The minimum size for pāua in the Taranaki area is 85mm and the daily limit per person gathering the shellfish is 10.
In January, a 43-year-old man from Cape Runaway was fined $1,000 in the Gisborne District Court for his part in taking 92 undersize pāua from Lottin Point at Hicks Bay. The man’s 29-year-old colleague was fined $1,000 last year in the Ruatoria District Court for his part.
And in February, a 58-yearold Mamaranui man was fined $600 in the Dargaville District Court for taking 257 green lipped mussels from Maunganui Bluff. The daily limit per person is 50 greenlipped mussels.
“We can all do our part in looking after our local fishery or fisheries we visit by following the rules. To find out how, download the NZ Fishing Rules App wherever you get your apps from and protect our kaimoana for future generations,” says Fisheries New Zealand, Acting Fisheries Compliance Director, Niamh Murphy.
If you become aware of any suspicious fishing activity, call us on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24) or email [email protected].
