KEY POINTS:
A Ministry of Fisheries charge of illegally dumping fish during a fishing trip in the Southern Ocean has been withdrawn against a New Zealand fishing company.
The company, which has interim name suppression, instead pleaded guilty in Nelson District Court today to failing to file a report recording that 23,000kg of fish was lost during a fishing trip.
A third charge under the Fisheries Act relating to documentary changes was also withdrawn.
The information sheet for the admitted charge stated that on or about March 6 2006, the company had made a false or misleading statement in an amended monthly harvest return, in that it omitted from the return that an internal review had found that 23,000kg of fish had been accidentally lost from the fishing vessel.
No conviction was entered on the charge due to issues regarding the possible forfeiture of the vessel.
The company's counsel, Tony Stallard, said the company did not accept forfeiture in relation to the charge it faced and the issue, along with the conviction, would be addressed once other related charges were dealt with.
In February two Nelson crew members admitted 15 charges of procuring a commercial fisher to dump southern blue whiting, which is subject to the quota management system, during a September 2004 fishing trip.
Their sentencing has to wait until the trial of the vessel's skipper, who is to defend charges of illegally dumping fish, procuring a commercial fisher to dump fish, aiding or abetting a commercial fisher to dump fish, and misreporting catches.
The three men all have interim name suppression and their cases, along with the company's, will be called on May 11.
- NZPA
