Sentencing has begun for Hawke's Bay Seafoods on 130 charges. Photo / File
Sentencing has begun for Hawke's Bay Seafoods on 130 charges. Photo / File
A seafood company is facing the music over underplaying its fishing numbers.
Sentencing is underway at the Wellington District Court for Hawke's Bay Seafoods sustained under-reporting of bluenose.
The company's directors - Nino and Joe D'Esposito - and factory manager Marcus D'Esposito, pleaded guilty to 130 charges related to under-reportingof fish, falsifying documents and selling unreported fish.
Twenty-seven tonnes of bluenose was under-reported by Hawke's Bay Seafoods over a 12-month period.
It is estimated the company made $253,000 from selling this fish, and avoided more than $200,000 in fees for over-fishing.
Ministry for Primary Industries prosecutor Stephanie Bishop said the significant offending undermines the reputation of the New Zealand fishing industry and has repercussions for the sustainability of the industry.
