Southland fishermen fined for black market sales
Fishermen Michael Noel Hawke, 61, Stuart Teiwi Ryan, 48 and Peter George Fletcher, 32, were sentenced at the Invercargill District Court after pleading guilty to a number of charges under the Fisheries Act.
Duncan William Davis, 39, was sentenced on two charges for selling a large amount of kina, some pāua and blue cod that he had either caught or bought from Ryan to resell.
The four men were fined a total of $36,900.
The fines followed a larger 2023 investigation into the illegal sale of seafood, with fishery officers examining landing records and communication between the fishers, black-market suppliers and possible buyers.
Fisheries New Zealand district manager Greg Forbes said none of the fishers held permits allowing them to sell fish.
"Most commercial fishers follow the rules because they want their fishery to remain sustainable into the future - black-market sales of recreational catch is a slap in the face to the majority of commercial fishers who do the right thing," he said.
Davis, who was not a commercial fisherman, faced the largest fine of $14,000 after selling up to 400 punnets of kina roe valued at up to $5000 and fish valued at about $2000.
"This was deliberate and the motivation was simply to make money," he said.
The investigation found Hawke, who was fined $6000, sold about 1000 dredge oysters during the 2023 season.
They were valued at more than $3000 and while he was allowed to take them recreationally they were not part of his allowable commercial take.
The investigation also found a deckhand aboard the fishing vessel was selling his allowable recreational catch.
Forbes said Ryan was fined $13,000 after selling 114 crayfish and about 40 blue cod, making $2250.
"Crayfish retails at about $140 a kg and blue cod $75 a kg," he said.
Fletcher, who was a commercial fisherman and was fined $3900, sold about 200 dredge oysters illegally on about six occasions, Forbes said.
"When we find evidence of deliberate illegal sales of seafood - we will take action," he said.
"Poachers steal from everyone because the shared resources belong to all New Zealanders. Their behaviour also undermines the Quota Management System and our reputation for sustainable kaimoana."
People could report suspected illegal activity through the Ministry of Primary Industries' poaching line 0800 476 224.
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