KEY POINTS:
Tip-offs from locals led to the arrest of a "greedy" Coromandel Peninsula man suspected of taking illegal quantities of crayfish from the Whangamata estuary.
Fisheries Ministry district compliance manager Brendon Mikkelsen said fishery officers watched the man over two weeks before making their move.
He was seen collecting crayfish from 10 different pots, breaching the legal maximum for recreational fishers of three, and then transferring his catch to a holding pot.
"He took great pains to ensure his boat was positioned in such a way as to block his activities from the houses on the southern side of the estuary," Mr Mikkelsen said.
When confronted by fishery officers last Friday, the man was found to have 24 crayfish in his holding pot and a further three on a nearby launch.
"This is the sort of greedy, indiscriminate behaviour that harms our valuable recreational fisheries. This man was basically stealing from other members of his community," Mr Mikkelsen said.
The Whangamata local is likely to face a number of serious fisheries charges, with maximum fines of up to $20,000.
His 4.3m boat has also been seized and will likely be forfeited to the Crown if he is convicted.
- NZPA
