Trawlers seized in big Fisheries swoop

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE and SCOTT MacLEOD

Two large fishing boats have been seized in a probe into five major firms accused of fishing illegally and misreporting their catches.

Ministry of Fisheries officers seized the vessels, worth a combined $3.2 million, and raided a Wellington company director's house as part of an investigation dubbed Operation Purse.

The ministry yesterday refused to name the firms - three in Tauranga, one in Wellington and one in Nelson. Twenty-seven officers from around the country swooped on them simultaneously.

A spokesman said no charges would be laid until the firms had been given time to explain themselves. Several large fishing companies in Tauranga last night denied being the alleged culprits.

However, spokesmen for one firm that came under strong suspicion refused to comment on the allegations.

One of the confiscated bulk fishing or "purse seine" vessels is accused of unlawfully taking more than 948 tonnes of fish by operating without a permit and certificate of registration.

The ministry alleged most of the catch went to a Tauranga licensed fish receiver during the past year, and may have been exported.

Further large quantities of fish had been misreported and, in some cases, fishing returns had been provided late, the ministry alleged.

The ministry's district compliance manager for Tauranga, Brendon Mikkelsen, said the five firms were "entities within the fishing industry which should have systems and controls in place to ensure against this type of alleged offending".

The top-secret Tauranga-based Operation Purse started a few weeks ago.

While fishery officers were impounding the two unidentified boats - which remain under ministry guard in Tauranga - others were yesterday morning combing premises in Nelson and Wellington for documentation.

This included the home of a company director in Wellington.

The unidentified director's firm is alleged to have failed to accurately report its catch.

The Nelson firm is alleged to have had a vessel fishing without a certificate of registration, and to have failed to accurately report at least one catch.

The firm is a "large licensed fish receiver", the ministry says.

Tauranga's Mr Mikkelsen said tonnes of fish were seized. He would not discuss the species, but said they were caught in New Zealand waters.

The ministry was still interviewing people and gathering evidence before deciding whether charges would be laid, he said.

Misreporting can draw fines of up to $250,000, or lead to permanent seizure of vessels.

Mr Mikkelsen said a valid fishing permit and certificate of registration were the primary authorisations that allowed fishermen to sell their catches.

A permit for one of the Tauranga boats is alleged to have expired.

In an unrelated incident, Tauranga fishery officers last week seized another purse seine vessel.

Informations have been laid against the fishing company and the skipper, who are accused of taking undersized kingfish.