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A North Shore man has been fined and had his gear confiscated for "blatantly" fishing in a popular marine reserve
Dennis Erskine, 23, was convicted in the Warkworth District Court this week after pleading guilty to illegally fishing in the Goat Island marine reserve near Leigh.
He was fined $1500 plus court costs.
Judge Barbara Morris said she was concerned Erskine had blatantly fished in the marine reserve and had gone to considerable lengths to find a remote location, before running from a Department of Conservation (DoC) ranger.
DoC investigator Richard Bray said the fine reflected the seriousness of the offence.
"Marine reserves preserve all marine life in their natural state and taking fish alters this natural balance. No amount of fines can bring those fish back, but can act as a deterrent.
"He [Erskine] made his way over farm land, passing within metres of two DoC signs that outlined the marine reserve, before climbing down steep rocks into the reserve.
"When he was approached by a ranger, Mr Erskine cut his line, dropped his rod and threw all the gutted fish back into the water, before attempting to escape around the rocks."
The reserve is one of New Zealand's most popular and receives up to 300,000 visitors each year.
In the past nine years there have been 15 prosecutions for illegally taking marine life from the reserve, with 12 of those cases resulting in fines and the remainder involving custodial sentences.
- NZPA
