KEY POINTS:
A Tauranga fishing company has been fined $36,000 after being convicted for misreporting a 5.1 tonne snapper and gurnard catch.
RMD Marine Limited pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of making misleading statements in its monthly harvest returns, before Judge Christopher Harding in Tauranga District Court.
The charges related to fishing returns filed in October, November and December 2005.
Senior Fisheries prosecutor Morgan Dunn told the court the Ministry of Fisheries accepted there was no intent by the company to defraud the Quota Management System (QMS) and that it was a case of sloppy record keeping.
Judge Harding said the fine effectively removed any profit from the offending and was a clear indication from the court, even if the offending was accidental to start with.
Ministry of Fisheries investigation manager Mark Nicholson said outside court that filing misleading returns undermined the QMS, which was the key to sustainable fishing management of fisheries.
Mr Nicholson said the QMS was based on setting annual catch limits for each fish species and rigorously monitoring how much fish was being caught against these limits.
"The system relies on fishers accurately and honestly reporting their catch to (the ministry) every month."
"Sloppy, slow or inaccurate reporting by fishers all threaten the sustainability of New Zealand's fish stocks, as fisheries managers are left making decisions with flawed information. The court is clearly indicating that such practices will not be tolerated."
- NZPA
