Crew’s snapper catch 45 times daily limit

A fishing crew with 45 times the legal daily limit of snapper has been caught by Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) fishery officers during a routine boat inspection.

The officers caught the five recreational fishers with 348 fish at Half Moon Bay boat ramp in East Auckland.

‘‘Most [317] were snapper, with a total weight of just under 200kg. Ninety-five of the snapper they had were undersize,’’ MPI west North Island regional manager fish compliance Andre Espinoza said.

The fishing crew would ‘‘likely’’ face prosecution and the vessel has been seized by MPI, Espinoza said.

The daily limit for catching snapper on the East Coast of Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf is seven per person with a minimum size of 30cm.

‘‘We work hard to protect fishing resources so that current and future generations can enjoy catching a feed of kaimoana.

‘‘When people take this obviously illegal haul of fish – along with many of them being undersize – they threaten the sustainability of the fishery.

‘‘The rules are there for a reason and when we find evidence of deliberate rulebreaking, you can be assured we will take action,’’ Espinoza said.