Person dumping butchered sheep at Maraekakaho stream intended to feed eels

Sheep carcasses dumped near Karamu stream by Chesterhope, Hastings, earlier this month. Hawke's Bay Regional council staff are investigating another incident in the Ngararoro River. Photo / Jo Worsley

A person who dumped sheep skins and offal in a small stream at Maraekakaho intended to feed eels they caught in the area.

Hawke's Bay Regional council pollution response staff appealed for information on Monday after they were notified of six sheep skins and associated offal dumped in the Ngaruroro River at the Maraekakaho settlement access.

Regulation and policy group manager Katrina Brunton said staff identified and spoke to the person who dumped the butchered sheep.

"While their intentions were to feed eels which they catch from the location, the environmental consequences of such a heavy load of animal waste in the stream were explained to the responsible party.

"We urge the public not to dump any material in rivers and waterways as this can have unforeseen consequences on these habitats."

She said the council will review what type of action needs to be taken in relation to the incident.

Brunton said earlier that finding livestock dumped in rivers was relatively rare.

"These incidents across the region are rare but we regularly remove butchered remains of animal carcasses - mainly deer - from the Tutaekurī River access reserves, near Puketapu.

"Carcasses have been dumped in the Tūtaekurī River access reserve around 15-20 times this year."

Local Jo Worsley found sheep carcasses dumped by the Karamu stream, Chesterhope, Hastings.

Worsley said the dumping was "disgusting".

"We go down to this particular spot to go whitebaiting every year and we had just gone down to let the dogs have a bit of a run. We couldn't even let them out of the car once we saw that."

She suspected that the carcasses had been dumped there during the daylight because she found them in the afternoon and the area was out of sight from the road.

"We've seen seafood shells, all sorts of things dumped in the creek. Obviously a little dumping ground, but that was the worst that I've seen I'd have to say."

"It's the only time we've seen livestock. It didn't smell a lot, so I am assuming it was pretty fresh."

Brunton said earlier animal remains were a pollution concern because they cause a significant increase in E.coli in the waterway, particularly given the water is slow moving in the case of Ngaruroro River.

"It will deprive the water of oxygen as it breaks down and becomes a fertiliser to the water body, increasing the weed growth in the water impacting on the aquatic life in the stream."

She said a fine of $750 can be applied if carcass dumping occurs near a waterway.

"If the issue was deemed substantial, in the public interest or a repeat then the offender could face prosecution in the Environment Court and face a penalty of up to two years imprisonment or a fine up to $300,000."

Anyone with any information on the incident is encouraged to contact the Hawke's Bay Regional Council Pollution hotline on 0800 108 838.