School stunned by mullet mix-up

He was just trying to help out at a fundraiser for his children's school.
Instead, Far North man Peter Yerkovich was dragged off by fisheries officers and faces a fine of up to $250,000 for selling smoked mullet at a school calf club day. He is waiting to hear whether he will be fined for allegedly illegally catching and selling around 100 fish without a licence.
And instead of using the gala day earnings for a trip to Te Papa in Wellington, 31-pupil Waiharara School might need the money to pay a fine for allowing the sale to take place.
Parents and management of the school, 25km north-west of Kaitaia, believe they acted in good faith and are furious Mr Yerkovich was taken away during the gala by officers in front of more than 100 children and adults. The case has opened a can of worms for schools selling donated food at fairs and galas.
Mr Yerkovich, a tree cutter and fisher, said he was taken to Ministry of Fisheries offices in Kaitaia for questioning last Saturday, before being taken home where his nets, fish bins and chilly bins were confiscated.
He had sold $30 worth of smoked mullet when the two plain-clothes fisheries officers, acting on a tip-off, approached him around 10am.
"I felt like a criminal. They said I had a right to a lawyer and I had my photograph taken," Mr Yerkovich said. He had a customary permit for fishing and thought he had the right to the fish, which he caught over four hours in nearby Rangaunu Harbour. He had sold fish at the school gala in previous years without trouble. "It's quite silly what's happened. It's caused quite a big kerfuffle."
Principal Kathy Cotching was angry and disappointed the fisheries officers took Mr Yerkovich away instead of talking to her. She said a ministry employee rang later explaining a licence was needed to sell fish, something the school did not know beforehand. "We were furious. It's the way these people went about it," said Mrs Cotching, who wants to resolve the situation with fisheries staff.
Parent Angie Ujdur-Seymour questioned the "humiliating" action by the officers and said her 11-year-old daughter was upset when Mr Yerkovich was taken away. "They really ruined a fantastic day. It left a very sour taste in everybody's mouth," she said.
Ministry of Fisheries Northland acting compliance manager Harvey Fergusson was unapologetic, saying officers deemed it a serious offence.
He said there was a "strong possibility" Mr Yerkovich would be charged with selling fish obtained without a licence. He would not say if the school would be charged for allowing the sale. Investigations were continuing.
"There are legal ways to do it (sell fish at a school gala) but certainly just because it's a school fundraiser, doesn't mean it's quasi-legal," he said.
Mr Fergusson said the ministry had received an anonymous call claiming Mr Yerkovich had caught fish without a licence. A customary permit did not allow Maori to use seafood for commercial gain, he said.
Under the Fisheries Act 1996, fishers who sell fish for commercial gain must have a licence. They may sell fish only to a licensed fish receiver or sell them in the vicinity of their boats.
`TWITCHY TRIGGER FINGER'
Fisheries expert and Northland Labour list MP Shane Jones says boredom and a quest for action are behind Fisheries officers stamping down on a school fish stall.
He is furious over public money being spent investigating the sale of smoked mullet at a Waiharara School gala. The officers travelled 200km on a Saturday after a tip-off.
"I rather suspect the compliance officers are bored and developed a twitch in their trigger finger," he fumed. Mr Jones, chairman of Maori fisheries allocation trust, Te Ohu Kaimoana, believed the man accused of illegally catching fish was entitled to provide fish for the gala on his customary permit because seafood may be used for communal purposes.
But the Ministry of Fisheries claims fishers holding customary permits cannot pass on fish for commercial gain.
Mr Jones called for common sense and contacted Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton, who launched an investigation yesterday.