Charges after fish and chip shops raided

Several "unscrupulous" Wanganui fish and chip shop operators face charges over allegations they flouted fisheries law by buying stock in unrecorded cash deals and kept dodgy records.

Fishery officers from Wellington and Taranaki carried out dawn raids on premises today as a result of suspected breaches they discovered during a surveillance operation this year.

Plain clothes fishery officers visited 15 premises and found that 10 of them were buying fish outside the quota management system (QMS), said Fisheries Ministry regional manager Ross Thurston.

"Some of these unscrupulous operators have evaded the fisheries record-keeping regulations and dealt with fish for cash under the table," Mr Thurston said.

"Some operators have also been devious in trying to avoid detection in their business transactions. Their actions have shown a total lack of respect for the law."

In the last six months more than 140 kilograms of paua, worth $18,000, and 12 rock lobsters were bought by food outlets in the area in breach of the Fisheries Act.

Mr Thurston said he was "staggered" by the fish and chip shop operators' willingness to flout the system which was in place to protect the quota system and commercial fishers' livelihood.

Several of the operators face serious charges under the Fisheries Act and could be liable for fines up to $250,000 and possibly even a prison term.

- NZPA