According to New Zealand''s Ministry for Primary Industry (MPI), a Tauranga based commercial fishing company, Fine O Muir Limited, has been fined for making false statements on fishing returns and fishing inside prohibited areas.
The family owned and operated company was sentenced in Wellington District Court yesterday. According to reports, Fine O Muir Limited was convicted on seven charges of making false statements in relation to fishing in one management area, misreporting its catch as having been caught in another area; consequently it was fined a total of NZ$37,500.
MPI District Compliance Manager for Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Brendon Mikkelsen, said: “A total disregard for the Quota Management System (QMS) places fish stocks at risk of overfishing. The information provided by commercial fishermen on their fishing returns is important information for managing commercial fisheries and making sure they are sustainable.”
He added: “This type of offending is unacceptable, the prohibited fishing areas are there to protect juvenile fish from bulk fishing methods, and support fishery sustainability. Let this be a lesson to all commercial operators, that the consequences of operating outside the law may be far more extensive than solely fines handed down by the court.”
The company’s fishing trawler, which was used during the offence, was ordered to be forfeit to the crown and Fine O Muir Limited was ordered to pay a redemption fee of NZ$20,000 for its return. In addition, the company’s contract to supply fish to a Tauranga based licensed fish receiver has also ceased.
