Greymouth whitebaiters taking a nap between tides or waiting in their cars to claim a spot on the river have been pinged with instant fines for "freedom camping".
One long-time whitebaiter said he was fined as he waited for dawn to claim his position on the Blaketown side of the Grey River.
"I arrived about 5.30am and the ticket officer plonked a fine on my car for breaking the freedom camping rules," Mick Farlane said yesterday.
It was the first time he had been fined in the 15 years he had been whitebaiting on the river.
"I know there are freedom camping laws in place, but it was obvious I wasn't camping there and that I was a whitebaiter.