Whangārei man fined for taking shellfish from prohibited area

A Whangārei man has been fined for taking mussels from a closed fishery area and refusing to co-operate with fishery officers.

A Whangārei labourer - described as a repeat fisheries offender - has been fined $1060 for refusing to co-operate and allow fishery officers to conduct an inspection, and taking mussels from a closed fishery area.

Tobias Mario Maaka, 34, appeared in the Whangārei District Court for sentencing on two fisheries charges.

Ministry for Primary Industries northern regional fisheries compliance manager Stephen Rudsdale said Maaka - a repeat fisheries offender - acted with no regard for the rules.

"We do not tolerate this type of offending, and people who obstruct fishery officers should know this will result in prosecution,'' Rudsdale said.

"Our fishery officers have a really important role to play in protecting our fish stocks and the majority of the public understand that and are helpful and co-operative. But unfortunately they also have to deal with abusive language, threats and obstruction."

The charges relate to an incident where fishery officers were on patrol in Whangārei Harbour when they observed Maaka and an associate gathering shellfish from Mair Bank and placing them into a bucket.

Fishery officers got off the patrol vessel and waded through the water toward Maaka to speak to him, but when he saw the officers coming he began walking towards the shore carrying the bucket.

The fishery officers called out to Maaka to stop, identifying themselves as "Fisheries". Maaka ignored calls to stop and refused to hand over the bucket of mussels.

In 2018, after a drastic decline in shellfish numbers, the area at Marsden and Mair Bank in Whangārei Harbour was closed for a period of two years to the gathering of all shellfish.

This was done at the request of iwi Patuharakeke and other stakeholders. The area is considered an important food source for customary and recreational fishers.

"It's everyone's responsibility to ensure we have a sustainable fishery. Our job is to work to find a balance between different communities' needs, the need to ensure our fisheries continue to provide for us all," Rudsdale said.

He said most New Zealanders do the right thing but when people see bad things happening it's their responsibility to let MPI know. To report any suspicious fishing activity, phone the MPI 0800 4 POACHER line – freephone: 0800 47 62 24.