The 690 ha marine reserve includes all of Te Matuku Bay (McLeods Bay) and extends into deeper water. Photo / Department of Conservation
The 690 ha marine reserve includes all of Te Matuku Bay (McLeods Bay) and extends into deeper water. Photo / Department of Conservation
A dozen people have been charged for unlawfully taking marine life from the Te Matuku marine reserve off Waiheke Island.
The alleged offending over the summer relates mostly to individuals, but includes one group of three.
Similar numbers of prosecutions occured in the summer prior but that could soon changewith Department of Conservation bolstering its prevention efforts nationally in two-fold measures.
Additional marine rangers will soon be patrolling protected waters and an infringement scheme is set to be introduced later this year.
The 690 ha Te Matuku marine reserve envelops the entire bay and extends into deeper water across the Waiheke Channel, beyond Passage Rock.
Notably, an oyster farm within the reserve area is not a part of the reserve.
Department of Conservation marine ranger Gabrielle Goodin said the Te Matuku marine reserve includes an estuary, an intertidal area, some rocky reef and the open channel.
The "nice flow of different ecosystems" makes the area a nice place for observation and conservation.
As a marine reserve the area is strictly a no-take zone, meaning that marine life and its habitat including rocks and shells cannot be gathered up by people.
"The whole purpose of a marine reserve is to have an area that is free from human impact as much as possible," Goodin said.
"So when you take anything, even of you are taking driftwood, you still may in some way be changing the natural environment…"
The introduction of any material, such as litter, is also prohibited.
Over the hot summer months DoC hires additional summer rangers to ramp up patrols on the protected waters.
"We make a concerted effort to make sure that the marine reserves are patrolled as much as possible," Goodin said.
"Goat Island and Long Bay are patrolled daily by our rangers."
An even higher level of attention will soon be established year round with the addition of three fulltime rangers who will be focused solely on marine reserves.
The yellow post pictured is a marine reserve boundary marker. Photo / Department of Conservation
It was important that people realised taking from a reserve was a strict liability offence, whether or not people meant to fish in a reserve, Goodin said.
"As soon as your line goes in the water there's consequences," she said.
"It is serious because if everyone unknowingly fished in the marine reserve then what is the point in having one there?"
Goodin said even those mistakingly fishing in a protected area were still liable for enforcement action.
"There has to be consequences for that."
Historically DoC only had two options, to warn people or to prosecute but it would be rolling out an infringement system later this year.
The rules will remain the same but the way they were enforced by conservation legislation is changing.
"An infringement system will be able to be that middle ground, where we can give people fines," Goodin said.
Once in the system there would be more severe penalties for recidivist offending, she said.
