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similar to warrants, at several private properties and retail outlets in Taranaki in February as part of Operation Deep 7. Local fishery officers became aware of breaches of the Fisheries Act when they undertook surveillance of some restaurants and fish and chip shops in New Plymouth and the surrounding area in late 2011. MAF district compliance manager Mike Green says they found that some food retailers readily purchased fish outside the quota management system. During the investigation phase, nine food outlets purchased more than 150 kilos of paua and wet fish, all outside the provisions of the Fisheries Act 1996. "Some of these operators have purposely evaded the fisheries record-keeping regulations and dealt with fish for cash under the table. We are especially disappointed knowing that each of them were well aware of the rules around the buying of fish as all had been visited by fishery officers in the past. The food retailers were prepared to flout the Fisheries Act and not comply with the regulations that were in place to protect sustainable fisheries management and commercial fishers' livelihood. These food retailers' actions contribute to and help to support the blackmarket trade of fish product. Poachers or fish thieves are an ongoing problem for fishery officers and it is only made more difficult because of the ready market these operators create." Green says these food retailers also did not know enough about the history of the products they were buying such as how they had been stored, and they therefore would not necessarily know they were safe for people to eat. Fishery officers from Wellington, Napier and Taranaki have assisted with the two-day execution phase of the operation this week. As a result of the inquiries several of the food outlet operators will face serious charges under the Fisheries Act 1996 and will be liable for fines up to $250,000 and possibly imprisonment. BUSY SEASON FOR MAF OFFICERS Despite poor weather, MAF fishery officers still had a busy summer as they concentrated on the recreational sector over summer ensuring that the message of Fish for the Future was being received. There were honorary fisheries officers patrolling heavily at Okahu Bay, Half Moon Bay and Kawakawa Bay, informing clients about the newly implemented charter vessel regulations. Feedback from the public is that it is great to see fishery officers patrolling both on the land and water passing out information about the fishery. Northland officers only found a small number (60) not complying with the regulations and they were given warnings, infringement notices or prosecutions. There were a similar number of recreational infringements (61) within the Manukau sub-region. The Every Fish Counts message, reinforced by a catchy jingle on radio stations resulted in many people in the Poverty Bay region coming into the MAF office to get measuring devices and information pamphlets. The campaign seems to have had a positive impact with a dramatic decrease in illegal activity over the summer period. In MAF's Wellington-Taranaki fishery region, 2653 commercial and recreational inspections were carried out. 160 recreational offences were detected resulting in 20 prosecutions, 69 infringement notices and 71 warnings. Two people were found with over 680 paua, shucked and packed into two large backpacks weighing over 65 kilos. The daily limit is 10 per person. Dive gear has been seized, which could be forfeited to the Crown upon conviction. Poverty Bay benefited from the previous year's work which saw a record number of prosecutions from Operation Holster which targeted local businesses purchasing illegal seafood. Southern fishery officers found compliance levels among recreational fishers to be generally good, though minor breaches were still detected with 27 infringement notices issued in Southland during the summer period, and 22 in Otago. Harvesting of undersized paua continued to be the biggest problem. Three men have been prosecuted in Southland in recent months for possessing more than three times the daily limit of mussels. PAUA PROSECUTIONS Last month, MAF reported it was exercising warrants on several private properties and retail outlets in Taranaki, after breaches of the Fisheries Act were observed. MAF found that nine food outlets were buying abalone illegally. Dean Baigent, director of compliance, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), said MAF saw the publicity over prosecutions of illegally harvested New Zealand paua (abalone), as a positive sign for the industry, not negative, as it showed both the success in catching those guilty and deterred thieves and retailers from engaging in the illegal activities. "MAF also has a rigorous registration and recording system that ensures the legal trade in seafood, that is designed to ensure the responsible management of our fisheries," said Baigent. Earlier, Australia's PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture department announced it was close to finalising the largest abalone trafficking case it had ever seen with around 480 kilos of abalone meat with a street value of A$480,000. In regard to the success of MAF's control and management, Baigent said, "Any prosecutions that result from offences serve to reinforce how seriously MAF takes New Zealand's reputation as a source of responsibly managed, premium quality seafood." Professional • Pragmatic • Proven Marine Industrial Design is a team you can trust to deliver a vessel that performs. • Marine Design Consultancy – refit, conversions, class approvals • Naval Architecture – vessel design, stability and seakeeping • Mechanical design – winches, deck equipment www.marinedesign.co.nz | 09 419 8440 VIP.S84 May/June 2012 Professional Skipper 65