The Ministry of Primary Industries warns the public it is illegal to offer to sell, sell, trade and purchase seafood that has been recreationally taken. Photo / Alan Gibson
The Ministry of Primary Industries warns the public it is illegal to offer to sell, sell, trade and purchase seafood that has been recreationally taken. Photo / Alan Gibson
Residents of Northland have been caught illegally selling crayfish through buy, sell and exchange pages on Facebook.
The sales were discovered by Northland Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff in the past two weeks.
MPI staff were speaking to all involved and warned the public that such sales were illegal.
"We would like to remind the public, it is illegal to offer to sell, sell, trade and purchase seafood that has been recreationally taken," said MPI Acting Northland District compliance manager Stephen Rudsdale.
"People who buy black market seafood also expose themselves to potential health risks, as there is no assurance that this product has been processed or stored hygienically."
The discovery of these sales in Northland follows an MPI swoop in south Auckland in March, where five properties were searched after being identified selling black market seafood on Facebook.
Anyone wishing to report illegal seafood sales on social media are asked by MPI to take a screenshot and contact its confidential hotline on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 4 762 243).
