Fisheries New Zealand has teamed up with New Zealand Police to conduct a major patrol of Auckland’s coastlines ahead of the summer season.
Together, North Harbour fishery officers and Auckland Police Maritime officers conducted 514 inspections of recreational fishers and found 15 people breaking the rules during a joint patrol over the weekend.
A team of 28 fishery officers and honorary fishery officers took part in the patrol of both the east and west coast areas, as well as a vehicle checkpoint for catch inspections.
“With summer is on its way, we expect more fishers on the water and along our coasts – so more fishery officers will be out and about to make sure the rules are being followed,” says Fisheries New Zealand district manager, North Harbour, Glen Blackwell.
“With the support of the Police Maritime Unit and its resources, we were able to do a large number of catch inspections.
“Overall, there was a high level of compliance with the rules, which was good to see. Of the 15 offences, 9 fishers were found with undersize snapper in the East Coast area.
“On the West Coast, one fisher had too many oysters and 3 others had taken undersize scallops.”
Fisheries New Zealand is considering prosecution for two illegal set nets discovered joined together at Mill Bay in a west coast closure area. Another unmarked set net was found at Titirangi and a warning to the fisher is being issued. Two infringement notices were issued to people who took undersize snapper and the rest of the fishers received formal warning notices.
“The rules are there for a reason – to protect the sustainability of our shared fisheries. So, when we find evidence of rules not being followed, we take action.”
“One of the best things you can do before going fishing is to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app because it will provide you with the latest rules for the area you intend to fish, including closures and gear restrictions. This should be as essential to your fishing kit as your physical gear,” Mr Blackwell says.
Further details on set net rules and regulations can be found here: Set-net code of practice [PDF, 22 MB].
Meanwhile, a new closure for several shellfish species comes into effect on 1 November for the Auckland and Coromandel coasts, including Waiheke Island. There are also some lower catch limits in areas that remain open.
Further details on the closures for shellfish in the Auckland-Coromandel area
We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224). Â
