The New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries‘ serious offences unit (SOU) has embarked on a serious crackdown of all illegal fishing trawlers found in Kiwi waters.
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Established in late 1997 to target major fisheries offenders, the SOU has recently reported the success of Operation Mack, which has seen two Korean trawlers forfeited to the government and another three before the courts for misreporting hake catches.
With a combined value of NZ$3.75m (US$1.6m), vessels Dong Won 519 and Don Fico 701 were seized and prosecuted during the operation’s first phase. Adding up the fines received, redemption charges of NZ$300,000 per vessel and the sale of catches, the trawlers’ owners, Dong Won Fisheries and its subsidiary Jemico Marine, were liable for NZ$1.9m for fraud. Both companies were also charged with 28 offences in court.
The skippers of the Korean vessels Sur Este 700, Sur Este 707 and Sur Este 709 are meanwhile facing charges concerning eight counts of misreporting catches of hake in Wellington District Court. These vessels are owned by Dong Nam Fisheries, which has been in a joint-venture deal with the NZ permit holders, Timaru-based South-East Resources.
Mike Green, manager of SOU, told the National Business Review: “New Zealand’s hake fishery is the second most valuable hake fishery in the world. While the misreporting [“trucking”] of catches is a relatively easy thing to do, it is difficult to catch. It becomes a complicated exercise, undertaken in the open sea with the need to see vessels’ documentation and the catch still on board.
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By GlobalData“It was a satisfying result, particularly with the scale of fines handed down. They are not to be taken lightly.
“The SOU hopes this will act as a deterrent to others.”
