Snapper long time no sea says witness

By GREGG WYCHERLEY

The monster snapper that Gary Fisken entered in a fishing competition was supposed to win a $20,000 prize, but instead it landed him and his two fishing mates in court.

Fisken, Paul Jackison and Shane "Sock" O'Connell appeared in the Hamilton District Court yesterday on a charge of attempted false pretences by trying to win the competition with a fish alleged to be two weeks dead. They denied the charge.

The men, all from Auckland, claimed to have caught the 14.35kg fish near a sunken barge in the Firth of Thames during a fishing tournament in December 2000.

But suspicions were aroused during the weigh-in when the big fish was too soft and limp to weigh easily, flopping over the edge of the scales.

Tournament officials were alerted by its sunken eyes, pale colouring and flaking scales and began an investigation.

The Matamata Club organised the competition and an insurance company put up the $20,000 for any snapper over 13.5kg caught with a line or a rod during the tournament weekend.

Prosecutor Mark Sturm told the court that mullet bait found in the stomach of the fish was fresher than the snapper.

Bob Bevege, then a Matamata detective, was given the job of checking any snapper eligible for the $20,000 prize on behalf of the insurance company.

He said the poor state of the fish suggested it might not have been fresh and the next day he informed one of his police colleagues, who appointed an officer to investigate.

Another club official, Graeme Wastney, said he had congratulated Fisken on his "awesome fish" but was surprised that the fisherman turned down his offer of a drink.

"He seemed pretty blase over it."

Mr Wastney was also disturbed by the appearance of the fish.

"It just looked to be a little the worse for wear and age. It didn't look that flash."

Fisken was named the nominal winner of the tournament, but he and his friends left before the end of the prizegiving ceremony.

The $20,000 prize was later awarded to a Matamata teenager who caught the second-heaviest fish.

The three snapper were packed in separate chillers and sent to Auckland for testing by seafood technologist Graeme Summers.

Mr Summers told the court that he had carried out a number of tests on the fish to determine how fresh they were.

Fisken's fish showed a much greater degree of deterioration than the other two snapper, and it gave the appearance of having spent 15-17 days on ice, compared with about four days for the others.

He said Fisken's snapper had sunken, cloudy and bloody eyes, bleached skin, and mottled brown gill plates, all signs of an old fish. The fish's tail showed signs of having been left out in the sun or unprotected in a freezer and the putrid smell of the gills indicated it had been stored at low temperature for a long time.

Defence counsel Paul Mabey, QC, said the accused had put the fish in a sack and hung it over the side of the boat.