MINISTRY OF FISHERIES
postal addresses and advised the Swedish supplier to send the eggs in bubble wrap to reduce the risk of them being detected.
VOLUNTEERS RESCUED DROWNING BOY Two honorary fishery officers have been recognised for helping a nine-year-old Auckland boy who was drowning. Dean Kaire and Phil Boughey were at Bucklands Beach during Labour Weekend Saturday when Phil noticed a young boy about 25m offshore calling for help. "We dumped our vests and dived into the water, overalls and all," said Kaire. They pulled the boy ashore where the boy's mother greeted them. An ambulance took him to Middlemore Children's Hospital where he was treated and discharged. Greg Keys, MFish's acting regional manager north, said the
pair's quick thinking probably saved a life. "Our HFOs do a fantastic job. These two have gone well beyond the call of duty and we should all be very grateful to them."
SET NETS ALLOWED BACK
Amateur fishers are to be allowed to set nets in a defined area at the top of the eastern coast of the South Island where rare dolphins are not known to frequent. The ruling comes into effect on May 1, 2012.
MFish deputy director Scott Gallacher said the area was small. Amateur fishers in the areas must stay with their net at all times while it is set.
"Although there have been no confirmed sightings of Hector's dolphins, they may occasionally transit through the defined area," he said. A ban on commercial set netting for butterfish in the area was lifted last March after court action.
BLACKMARKET OPERATION BUSTED
Ministry of Fisheries officers said on November 23 they had seized a Tauranga-based commercial fishing trawler and two refrigerated trucks related to a large-scale blackmarket operation. Government investigators found snapper and a large amount of cash during searches of the Auckland and Tauranga homes of the trawler's skipper, permit holder and the two truck drivers. The men had been under surveillance for two months before the search, said Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel districts field operations manager, Brendon Mikkelsen. "In that time, we believe more than 12 tonnes of the
trawler's catch were not reported as required," he said. "Instead, it appears to have been sold on the blackmarket in Tauranga and Auckland.
"Thanks to a local recreational fisher who provided us with timely information about the alleged dumping, we were able to use a helicopter to respond immediately to his report. That suspected dumping now forms part of our investigation and it is likely the vessel's electronics will be analysed to provide more information."
Much of the illegal activity had happened at night, and those buying the blackmarket fish appeared to be takeaway outlets and businesses that were not licensed fish receivers. Further investigations of those premises was continuing, Mikkelsen said. Deliberately neglecting to report fish caught under the quota management system constituted theft and risked the future sustainability of the fishery, Mikkelsen said. He said MFish also believed the fishing vessel New Fish II
4363 took part in the apparent dumping of snapper near Town Point, Maketu, last September.
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