Illegal vendor loses $35k in fishing gear

Photo / Brett Phibbs

A Bay of Plenty man has been sentenced to nine months' home detention, 200 hours of community service and had to forfeit $35,000 of his fishing gear after he was convicted of illegally selling fish.

Norman Evan Reid, 57, unemployed of Maketu, was yesterday sentenced in Rotorua District Court after catching a variety of seafood, including snapper, crayfish, mussels and eels, and selling these in various licensed premises and carparks around Rotorua.

The court ordered forfeiture of around $35,000 worth of property, which included two vehicles, a 5.8-metre boat, a 100hp outboard and a large smokehouse that were all used in the offending.

Reid was not a commercial fisherman or a licensed fish receiver and was not legally allowed to take fish for sale.

Ministry of Fisheries' field operations manager Brendon Mikkelsen said those who bought fish or other seafood from Reid could also face prosecution.

The public were only allowed to buy fish from a licensed fish receiver or dealer and legitimate fish sellers did not sell their seafood from the back of a car in a pub car park or in a hotel bar, he said.

"People who buy fish in these circumstances are encouraging fish poaching and helping to threaten our fish stocks. They are also breaking the law and could be prosecuted and face substantial fines.

"Poachers like Reid need to realise that most members of the community are not interested in having someone steal their fish from the sea and then try and sell it back to them."

- NZPA