Over cockle limit

A man who admitted taking more than three times the daily limit of cockles from within the East Otago Taiapure on August 11 was convicted and fined $200.

Before the court was Percy Rangianni Te Whau (57), unemployed, of Mosgiel.

Ministry for Primary Industries prosecutor Leonie Matehaere said fisheries officers were told two males might have taken excess cockles from Purakaunui inlet and had just left the area in a flatdeck ute, about 11.45am.

The officers found the ute and stopped it.

On the deck was a backpack containing 187 cockles and a bucket containing 140 cockles.

Te Whau confirmed the cockles in the backpack had been taken by him. He had lost count of how many cockles he had taken and just went by their weight as an indication of being within what he thought was the 150 limit, he said. He had taken the cockles for a family gathering for his associate, he stated.

Te Whau was unaware Purakaunui was within the East Otago Taiapure and the daily limit was 50.

He was cooperative and polite and had no record of previous fisheries offending.

His associate, to whom the 140 cockles belonged, received a $500 infringement for taking more than two times the daily limit, Mrs Matehaere said.

After hearing from counsel Nathan Laws, the judge said he would take it as an honest mistake by Te Whau, who had previously fished where the limit was higher. And Te Whau’s associate was from such an area.

Noting Te Whau would be getting a conviction for the offence, the judge said that was quite a sanction in itself. He would keep the fine low.