Fishers breaking the rules as illegal set nets are confiscated regularly

Fishery officers have been actively seizing illegal set nets and taking legal action against individuals selling recreational catch, as some fishers continue to ignore regulations. Authorities say that despite high overall compliance during the summer months, several serious violations were still uncovered.

According to official figures, summer compliance reached around 94%, but officers encountered notable breaches. In one case, three set nets were tied together, stretching across 160 metres, well beyond legal limits.

According to a report by Stuff, Fisheries New Zealand director of fisheries compliance Steve Ham said that while most fishers adhered to the rules, a minority were just “blatantly breaking them”.

“In saying that, we will prosecute when required. For example, we recently prosecuted an Auckland man for selling recreational fish. This man was banned by the court from all fishing for three years,” Ham said, as quoted by Stuff.

Enforcement efforts over the summer revealed a range of illegal practices. Officers seized equipment such as a car battery being used as a set net anchor, discovered a decoy duck being used to conceal a net, and found staked nets that left fish stranded and dead out of the water.

Additional concerns included improperly marked nets lacking required contact details, posing safety risks to other water users. In Auckland alone, 5806 inspections resulted in 361 cases of non-compliance and more than 85 infringement notices.

In Wellington, officers carried out 2435 inspections, identifying 192 breaches and issuing about 100 infringement notices. Most violations involved undersized or excessive catches of pāua and crayfish. Meanwhile, in the South Island, 4488 inspections led to 261 breaches.

“Fishery Officers worked extremely hard throughout the summer and while they provided education to a lot of people on rules, they still found too many people with too much pāua, crayfish and undersized blue cod or blue cod being landed in an illegal state,” Ham said.

“Blue cod should always be landed whole or gutted, or in some areas, headed and gutted, and it should never be used as bait, which we have found is still the case in both Southland and Otago from time to time. This behaviour threatens the sustainability of the blue cod fisheries,” as quoted by Stuff. 

While minor offences were often addressed through education or a $250 fine, authorities warned that more serious breaches could result in significant court-imposed penalties. The public is encouraged to report suspected illegal fishing activity via the 0800 4 POACHER hotline, as quoted by Stuff.