Three year ban on fishing will make 'no difference at all' to family's fishing empire
Friday, 12 April 2019
The owner of a company banned from fishing for three years says it will make 'absolutely no difference' to his operations.
Esplanade No. 3 was banned from fishing for three years on Thursday after it was sentenced on two representative charges of failing to keep or provide returns and two of making false or misleading statements.
The company, which is in the stable of Hawke's Bay Seafoods, was banned from holding a fishing licence, fishing or deriving any income from associated activities for three years.
Esplanade No. 3 became subject to the ban because under the Fisheries Act if a company is convicted of two or more offences within a certain penalty provision within seven years the court is able to issue a ban.
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Company director Nino D'Esposito said the ban would 'mean nothing at all'.
He said the licence held by Esplanade No. 3 had not been used for several years.
'That company doesn't even trade. It will make no difference to our activities,' he said.
D'Esposito said his family had some 14 boats operating in about eight different companies and various licences.
'Everyone thinks this means we're out of action, but it doesn't. Not at all,' he said.
The offending for which the company was sentenced this week involved skipper Karl Harrison of the Nimrod 1 fishing vessel. He was fishing for rock lobster on a fishing permit held by Esplanade No.3.
His catches went to Ocean Enterprises, another company that was part of HB Seafoods.
Over a nine month period Esplanade failed to correctly report 204.96kg of rock lobster.
Harrison had later pleaded guilty and was given 10 months home detention.
The offending was detected after MPI began looking into the activities of the company in 2014. The Ministry used specialised investigative techniques involving the use of an undercover officer to confirm that the skipper and crew of the Nimrod 1 were fishing illegally.
MPI Manager of Compliance Investigations Gary Orr said it was discovered that crayfish were not reported on 36 fishing trips over a period of ten months.
'That added up to a total of 204 kilograms of unreported crayfish,' Orr said.
'This sort of illegal fishing activity is extremely disappointing. Accurate reporting of commercial catches is critical to maintaining the integrity of New Zealand's Quota Management System. The data obtained is crucial to MPI's assessment of the health of a fishery. Misreporting of commercial catches can undermine the ability of Fisheries New Zealand to ensure sustainable use of fisheries and the fixing of appropriate catch settings,' he said.
Hawke's Bay Seafoods was sold at the beginning of the month and is now known as Takitimu Seafoods (GP) Ltd. It's sole shareholder is Kahungunu Asset Holding Company Ltd., which manages assets on behalf of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated.