A pet-lover has escaped conviction for catching more than 500 shrimp - to feed his pet fish.
The man appeared at Manukau District court today after being caught with the haul, which is more than 10 times the daily limit of 50 allowed under Ministry of Fisheries guidelines.
He caught the shrimp using a net off the coast in Mangere.
Speaking through an Indian interpreter, the unemployed father-of-three said he caught them to feed his pet fish.
When asked by Judge Russell Callander what kind of fish it was to eat such an amount, he replied he wasn't sure of the species but it was "a big one", coloured black and white, which he had got from Hamilton.
