Beneficiaries lose boat for crayfish poaching

tazbubz · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 5:26 pm

Good Job I say.... mongeals!!

Two East Coast beneficiaries have lost their boat and fishing gear and copped fines of nearly $4000 for pillaging crayfish from an isolated bay.

The couple, Harry Junior Sadlier, 32, and Joanne Robina Birch, 31, both from Anaura Bay, about 80km north of Gisborne, pleaded not guilty to charges of taking excess and undersize crayfish last year.

It was revealed in Gisborne District Court today the pair took 93 crayfish, 84 of which were undersize.

The daily recreational bag limit for crayfish is six per person per day.

Sadlier, the primary offender, was convicted and fined $3000, while Birch was convicted and fined $750.

The couple's 4.2m aluminium dinghy, 40 horsepower motor and the fishing gear seized with it was ordered forfeit today by Judge James Rota.

Ministry of Fisheries East Coast compliance officer Neville Buckley said the sentencing ended an operation that saw two other people convicted and sentenced for receiving the crayfish Sadlier and Birch had taken from Anaura Bay.

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Those two people gave evidence against Sadlier and Birch in regard to the transaction.

Packhorse · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 5:31 pm

Sounds like justice does work. (sometimes)

I like the style of punisment where they get fines and stuff confiscated. Perhaps a bit of shaming would go down well too. Perhaps put their faces on posters at all the local boat ramps and details of their convictions.

Hybrid · **Joined:** Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:30 am **Posts:** 226

People like that are the EXACT reason such laws are in place!

plumb bob · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 6:22 pm

Good job!

toucan · **Posted:** Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:03 am

what happens to the crays?

tazbubz · **Posted:** Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:09 am

toucan wrote:

what happens to the crays?

good question, where does it all go? preserved as evidence?

Azza · **Joined:** Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:50 am **Posts:** 846

Governement Lunch?

Cannafish · **Posted:** Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:36 am

84 undersized Crays????????????????

They got let off lightly IMO. :evil:

toucan · **Posted:** Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:39 pm

imagine all those crays in a year or so? there would be heaps of legal crays there

tazbubz · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 4:33 pm

A Gisborne man did a better job of hiding the evidence of his crime - when faced by fisheries officers for paua poaching he ate all the paua.

Ivan Harrison, 51, was seen by fisheries officers carrying sacks of seafood to his vehicle at Kaiti Beach near Gisborne in July.

The officers visited his home, but Harrison had thrown the sack from his vehicle as he left the beach.

A search of the beach failed to locate the sack because Harrison had returned and consumed its contents while the fisheries officers were getting a warrant.

Harrison was convicted of obstructing a fishery officer, sentenced to 100 hours community service and ordered to forfeit his vehicle.

toucan · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:59 pm

eww thats a lot of seafood all at once. i dont think i could do it. and he can keep his paua for all my money YUK!

Beneficiaries lose boat for crayfish poaching

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