New wheels for Northland fisheries officers

Northland fisheries officers will be hitting the regions beaches in new side-by-side Utility Task vehicles. Photo/ Supplied

New wheels for Northland fisheries officers mean some of the hard places to reach along the region's coastline will now come under scrutiny.

The team of Northland officers have just completed training on the new side-by-side Utility Task vehicles (UTVs) that are rolling out across New Zealand.

Officers were tested on Ruakaka Beach last Friday.

MPI Upper North Island team manager fisheries compliance Steve Rudsdale said the new vehicles would be in use next week and would become a common sight on Northland beaches over summer.

The vehicles take the place of quad bikes that were previously used by officers scouring the beaches and checking fishers were abiding by the rules.

Rudsdale said it meant two officers could safely use the vehicles and could cover more area which meant staff were also more visible.

There are three based in Whangarei and one in Kaitaia.

Staff investigating animal welfare cases have also been trained and will be able to use the vehicles when going out on farms.

The fully independent front and rear suspension gives a smooth ride and excellent traction over rough terrain and makes them excellent for Northland.

The fisheries officers help protect the region's fisheries stock and catch people who breach fisheries rules.

Just this week the scale of a Russell man's illegal haul shocked fisheries officers.

The man had been caught with 97 flounder and 677 shucked oysters packed in punnets.

"The haul was commercial in scale. The man had more than three times the daily limit of both flounder and oysters," Rudsdale said.

"On top of that, he was fishing with a net that was 178 metres long. The maximum legal length for a flounder net is 60 metres. The way the oysters were packed in punnets, and the length of the net, indicate that the illegal catch was destined for the commercial market.

"We'd like to remind people that they should always be motivated by collecting for a feed rather than greed, and that it's an offence to buy seafood from an unlicensed source," he added.

"Buying fish this way is also a food safety risk, particularly in respect of the oysters, given that commercial oyster farms in the Bay of Islands were closed recently due to high rainfall."

The man faced charges under the Fisheries Act, and his boat, nets and a vehicle had been seized.

Anyone who was unclear about the fishery rules, regulations and limits can go to www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/fishing/fishing-rules/. People who witness or knew of suspicious fishing activity should call 0800 4 POACHER (0800 447-6224).