Illegal kaimoana is on nobody's menu

Illegally taken toheroa laid our for photographing before those that were not damaged were returned to the beach. Photo / MPI

Dozens of shellfish and pāua spread out on tarpaulins, and hundreds of crayfish lined up neatly alongside fish, might sound like a seafood market, but it's much more likely to be illegally gathered, and seized by the Ministry for Primary Industries. But what happens to it after it's been intercepted?

One way or another, it goes back to where it came from. It does not find its way to anyone's table.

Following four very recent interventions, Fisheries officers returned almost 3000 cockles and 156 undersized pāua to the sea after several groups of people were caught, claiming to be unaware of a beach closure and regional and quantity limits on shellfish gathering.

While smaller-scale offences are often dealt with via 'education,' more serious breaches often lead to infringement notices and prosecutions, the illegally harvested seafood becoming evidence for any subsequent proceedings.

"Of course the court does not appreciate us showing up with a bag of wet, smelly, mouldy two-month-old pāua, so the next best thing for our officers to do is to lay out any kaimoana as quickly as possible, take photos to show the court, then put everything back in the ocean if it has a high chance of surviving," national manager fisheries compliance Steve Ham said.

"Usually shellfish and rock lobster will recover if the time out of the water is kept to a minimum.

"If the kaimoana is dead or damaged, we can't just throw it back in, as it could wash up on the shoreline, so we will take it back to our offices, where it is measured, weighed, tagged and photographed. It's then frozen and kept till the court case is over."

So where did it finally go? The ministry was often asked why it wasn't given to charities or people in need.

"Sadly, it is just too dangerous to redistribute it or give it away, no matter how nice an idea it seems," Ham said.

"We have no idea how it's been caught, how long it's been in the sun, and whether it's been collected or stored in a clean and hygienic way. Seafood that has not been handled correctly could pose a significant health risk.

"We could make people really sick, so that's why we can't donate it."

"We have freezers at our fisheries offices around the country, so every so often we take the confiscated fish and seafood and return it back into the marine ecosystem. This enables this illegally harvested seafood to enter the food chain in a controlled manner. This means it is well documented where the illegally harvested seafood has been released, how much was put back into the sea, and as a result we don't overwhelm the ecosystem.

Protecting fish and shellfish, including cockles, kina, pāua, green-lipped mussels, oysters, pipi, scallops, toheroa and tuatua, wasn't just a job for Fisheries though. It was up to everyone to get familiar with the rules and follow them.

"The alternative is a dire situation where our rocks and seas are left barren and future generations do not get to experience (the) gratification of hunting and gathering a delicious meal for friends and whānau, or experience the beauty of New Zealand's marine life," he added.

What you can do

If you become aware of any suspicious fishing activity, call MPI on 0800 4 POACHER or email ncc@mpi.govt.nz

And before you go fishing or gathering seafood, check the rules (at https://www.mpi.govt.nz/fishing-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/fishing-rules/). The NZ Fishing Rules app can also be downloaded - Android / Google Play: https://bit.ly/2CbNOWa; iOS / iTunes / Apple: https://apple.co/2Fothkc