A commercial fishing boat caught operating in a marine protected area in Northland was the first to formally be rapped over the knuckles by the regional council under new rules.
The vessel’s fishing gear was found 250m inside the area boundary at Rākaumangamanga Rāhui Tapu.
The same vessel had reportedly been seen close to Mimiwhangata Rāhui Tapu marine protected area boundaries as well.
An off-duty Northland Regional Council (NRC) contractor was the first to blow the whistle.
Their warning resulted in an abatement notice for the vessel, the first of its kind in a crackdown on rule-breakers.
The rāhui tapū marine protected areas are in place around Mimiwhangata Peninsula (Mimiwhangata Rāhui Tapu) and from Maunganui Bay (Deep Water Cove) to Opourua (Oke Bay) in the Bay of Islands (Rākaumangamanga Rāhui Tapu).
In Mimiwhangata Rāhui Tapu alone, 64 vessels were approached over the last year, with 19 vessel operators caught fishing and five diving.
At Rākaumangamanga Rāhui Tapu, 157 vessels were approached, with 44 operators caught fishing and 31 diving.
No fishing or diving for seafood is permitted in the areas except for kina harvesting and activities associated with restoration, research and tikanga such as customary fishing under new rules.
Northland Regional Council chairman Geoff Crawford said it was vital for both commercial and recreational fishers to heed them.
“The marine ecosystems in these areas are in trouble.”
“Tipa/scallop populations have collapsed, kūtai/green-lipped mussel beds have disappeared, hāpuku numbers have significantly reduced, and we’re seeing kina barrens resulting from the decrease in tāmure/snapper and kōura/crayfish.”
The council has partnered with local hapū to protect the areas with surveillance patrols.
These would be carried out by specially recruited and trained resource-management warranted officers alongside kaitiaki from local hapū.
Crawford said it would require everyone supporting the no-take area to restore ecosystems and fish populations.
That included vital eyewitness reports to support direct enforcement action.
Other enforcement actions aside from abatement notices include fines ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to two years.
According to NRC, those on the water during summer can expect to see daily surveillance patrols to enforce rules.
Brodie Stone is an education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
It's understood a NZDF aircraft and multiple helicopters are involved.