Fisher convicted for selling under the table

12 February 2008

A commercial fisher was convicted of selling part of his catch “under the table” without the necessary reporting, in Auckland District Court on Friday (8 February).

Zhen Hai Yi, aged 24 years, pleaded guilty to three charges of selling fish without documentation.

The charges involved selling flounder and kahawai at a market in Sandringham.

Zhen was fined $200 on each of the three charges. His boat and caravan were forfeit to the Crown.

Ministry of Fisheries Investigations Manager Mark Nicholson said commercial fishers must report all fish they catch so New Zealand’s fisheries can be managed sustainably.

“If fishers sell their catch on the side, without documentation, this affects the information used to manage fisheries and threatens long term sustainability.”

Mr Nicholson said commercial fishers could sell directly to the public with what is known as a wharf sale however this was limited to no more than 10kg of fish per person. It is important that this fish must be reported to MFish so it can be factored into the fisheries Quota Management System.