Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) compliance officers swooped on Hawke's Bay Seafoods today to secure evidence in an investigation into suspected fraudulent activity in the inshore commercial fishing sector.|
Ministry for Primary Industries Director of Compliance Dean Baigent said the investigation was the largest "inshore fisheries" investigation of its type for many years.|
"This morning 88 MPI Compliance officers and investigators and New Zealand Police visited sites in the greater Hawke's Bay area, Wellington, Tauranga, Gisborne, Chatham Islands and Christchurch. |"The investigation involves activity throughout the commercial supply chain - catching, landing, processing and exporting."|
The ministry alleges export documents show the company has exported substantial quantities of fresh chilled product over an 18 month period, while catch records show the company has landed considerably less. |
Mr Baigent said investigators have a lot of new evidence to go through before other species can be excluded as being misreported.|
