Auckland fishing company fined $16,500 for false reports, missing gear

The company’s boat failed to use tori lines, which help prevent seabirds getting snared. Photo / NZME

An Auckland fishing company has been fined $16,500 for failing to use the correct bird-scaring gear and providing a false statement on official fish landing returns.

The company, Macnicol Fishing, was prosecuted by Fisheries New Zealand on three charges under the Fisheries Act.

It was sentenced in the North Shore District Court on Friday.

Fisheries NZ fisheries compliance manager Glen Blackwell said video footage found the company’s vessel Carolina M did not use tori lines - which are required to prevent accidental seabird capture when surface longlining.

“Video footage showed the fishing vessel Carolina M was longlining without using this bird-scaring device – which increases the risk of catching endangered seabirds.

“The rules are there for a reason and most commercial fishers follow them closely,” Blackwell said.

Another of the company’s vessels, Kiella, was found to file incorrect fish landing returns, which record where a fish was caught for the purposes of sustainable fisheries management.

Kiella filed an electronic report identifying a different area to where the fish was actually harvested from, off the coast of the Bay of Plenty.

The following month, the Kiella filed another incorrect electronic report, related to its catch of snapper and trevally in waters north of Auckland.

Blackwell said accurate reporting is essential to sustainable management of our fisheries.

“It is a fisher’s responsibility to accurately report their catch. This information is an important part of considerations when setting catch limits, so we take misreporting seriously.”

The fine comes as the Government seeks public feedback on “significant” reforms of New Zealand’s fisheries, including options to set sustainable catch limits and more effectively deal with discarded fish.

The proposal also includes barring video footage from vessels from being included in Official Information Act requests, improving privacy protection for fishers.

The Ministry for Primary Industries encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through its 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 47 62 24).