My Account
The removal of large quantities of shellfish from Stanmore Bay, by night, has angered local residents, who feel powerless to act.
Long time residents of Stanmore Bay, Gillian Law and Trish Jew, together with several of their neighbours, have observed groups taking bulging bags and large buckets full of shellfish off the rocks over the past six months, whenever a low tide coincides with the cover of darkness, sometimes as late as 1am.
They say around six people are involved each time, with five vehicles. They wear headlamps, carry torches and seem to work as a team.
The most recent visit was last month. “I think they will keep going until there is nothing left,” Gillian says.
Residents took car licence plate details and contacted the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), who noted the information and said it would be followed up. So far, the residents have not seen any fisheries officers on the beach.
Some locals approached the fishers and asked them to put the shellfish back, but they refused and Trish says they appeared unconcerned.
The women say it appears the group is taking far too much shellfish for it to be just feeding their family.
The legal catch limit for shellfish is 50 per person, per day.
“We are concerned about the environmental issues because the shellfish are an important part of the ecosystem,” Gillian says. “They filter the water and remove slime from the rocks as well as providing food for bigger fish. It’s still possible to catch a feed of snapper from the beach and we don’t want that to change. It’s very sad and we seem powerless to do anything about it, although it’s clear that what they are doing is illegal. The best we can do is be vigilant and report the poaching to MPI so at the very least it goes on the record.”
An MPI spokesperson says the ministry is following up the concerns but while the activity seems suspicious, there can be legitimate reasons for people fishing late at night. “We are using the information supplied to help identify the people who were seen in the area in the early hours of the morning,” the spokesperson says. “The purpose of identifying them is to provide educative material and advice.”
The Ministry did not respond to the question “what is being done about enforcing the limits for shellfish take at Stanmore Bay?”
Fines ranging from $250 to $750 can be instantly applied for exceeding the legal limit or, for more serious offending (taking more than three times the daily limit) offenders will be prosecuted and required to appear in Court to answer a charge which carries a fine of up to $20,000.
MPI says it welcomes information from the public in relation to poaching activity. The number is 08004POACHER.
