Commercial charter fed reserve fish: Dive firm

Rikoriko cave, Poor Knights Island.

A commercial fishing charter allegedly spotted feeding fish inside the marine reserve at the Poor Knights Islands will be investigated by the Department of Conservation.

Dive! Tutukaka owner and manager, Kate Malcolm, said a crew from the diving centre were out yesterday around 10.30am when they spotted people on board the vessel feeding the fish inside of the reserve at Maroro Bay, near Riko Riko Cave.

Under the Marine Reserves Act 1971, doing anything that wilfully interferes with or wilfully disturbs any marine life, foreshore or seabed, or any of the natural features, is illegal. "These guys are commercial operators. They know the rules, they're expected to know the rules. It's like driving up to a giveway sign and not knowing that it means giveway each time," Ms Malcolm said.

Feeding fish inside a marine reserve can have a "huge impact" on the behaviour of the fish, she said. "If we fed them off our boats they'd always flock to it because they would come to expect food. The Poor Knights is somewhere you can swim with the fish and they won't do anything because you're just part of their environment."

Steven Gray, skipper of the Cova Rose owned by Whakatane-based Enchanter Fishing Charters, was convicted and fined $1350 in the Whangarei District Court last month and earlier had fishing equipment forfeited after being caught with fish inside the reserve, near Riko Riko Cave, in March.

Lyn Davison, from the Department of Conservation, said DOC would be investigating once they had more information. "It depends on what information we get. Sometimes it leads to prosecution and sometimes it leads to nothing," she said.