The Ministry of Fisheries hopes the outcome of a Dunedin District Court case involving the illegal purchase of fish will serve as a warning to others tempted to buy or sell on the black market.
Ten people were charged in connection with a ministry investigation into the illegal sale of blue cod, rock lobster and oysters, in Southland, between June 2008 and March this year.
Yesterday, Bruce Stephen Edhouse (56) pleaded guilty in the Dunedin court to buying rock lobsters and cod, and was fined a total of $5000, with court costs of $130.
Edhouse was the sixth defendant to be dealt with.
Five have previously appeared in the Invercargill District Court, with four more yet to appear.
Fisheries district compliance manager Reece Murphy told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he was restricted in what he could say at this stage, but expected the court action would have an impact on the illegal trade in fish.
"They're quite significant penalties and that should serve as a deterrent to people to be mindful when they are buying fish that they are getting it from a legitimate source.
If these fines aren't sending a very clear message then I don't know what it will take."
