A Fiordland fishing charter company has been sentenced for illegally harvesting crayfish worth up to $244,500 and serving them to clients.
Fiordland Cruises Limited received a $60,000 fine in Invercargill District Court for breaching the Fisheries Act, after a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
The court granted relief from forfeiting the company’s vessel, Southern Secret, upon payment of a $47,000 redemption fee.
Garreth Jay, Fisheries NZ’s southern regional compliance manager, said MPI received multiple complaints about charter vessel operators in the Fiordland Marine Area, including Southern Secret.
“Allegations suggested seafood meals were being used to encourage paying passengers to take part in charter trips. Other concerns included questions about who was gathering the seafood – the charter operators or the paying guests.”
An MPI investigation revealed that from January to October 2023, Fiordland Cruises conducted 162 amateur fishing charters, catching and serving 1,630 crayfish to paying guests for lunch onboard—without a commercial fishing licence.
The catch would have fetched $239,610 to $244,500 on the domestic market, at a retail price of $147 to $150 per kilogram.
Jay said fishery officers boarding the Southern Secret during the investigation discovered non-fishing passengers being served crayfish for lunch.
“Guests reported that they did not take part in catching or taking the crayfish and that they saw the cray pots being cleared by the crew,” he said.
“Furthermore – the skipper told us that along with the chef, they would lift the cray pots while passengers watched. This is illegal behaviour from a company that does not hold a commercial fishing licence and is not a licensed fish receiver. A commercial business cannot catch fish recreationally and serve it to customers.”
Jay stated that all charter operators had received “clear information on the rules.”
He said it is expected for those rules to be followed.
He said MPI would take action if evidence emerged of fish being harvested and used commercially outside the quota management system.