Police Able To Arrest Boats

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31290, 9 February 1967, Page 3

Police Able To Arrest Boats

(N.Z. Press Association)

HAMILTON, Feb. 8. It is reported that every police officer has been appointed as a Marine Department official, with power to arrest foreign vessels fishing within the three-mile limit.

This decision had been made by the Minister of Marin- (Mr Scott), according to the president of the Commercial Fishing Boat Owners’ Association (Mr J. D. Olsen). But the Commissioner of Police (Mr C. L. Spencer) said today that he knew nothing of a Government decision to appoint policemen as Marine Department officials. Mr Scott declined to make

any comment on the matter today.

“It is now within the power of any police constable to arrest any Japanese dory inside the three-mile limit,” said Mr Olsen.

Last week, off Wairoa, a constable had the opportunity to arrest an invading fishing vessel but had no authority, said Mr Olsen. The order from Mr Scott had not yet been received at Hamilton, “but it will probably take a day or so to go through the proper channels,” said Inspector R. Austin, of the Hamilton police. “Constables at small fishing ports such as Raglan already have the necessary authority, in their capacity as fisheries inspectors,” he said. More Reports

Another report of a Japanese mother ship and a dory

near Reef Point at the southern end of the Ninety Mile Beach has been received, and is being investigated. A large and a small vessel were seen from the Ahipara settlement to go round the point at 10.55 a.m. today. It was in this locality that a Kaitaia man came alongside a dory with a three-man crew long-line fishing less than a mile from land on Sunday morning. The mother ship was not visible from sea level but could be seen from the shore. A Japanese fishing trawler was sighted only two miles off Ruapuke Beach, near Raglan, at 7.15 am. today. With the mother ship—the Anyo’Maru from Tokyo—were three dories which were working between the ship and shore. One of the dories was only one from the shore.

A top-dressing pilot, Mr C. Clarkin, was able to read the number of the mother ship—Kini 387. Boat Photographed Another boat was reported yesterday, and photographed working just outside the three-mile limit. On the funnel was painted Iti-56. Kawhai fishermen on the west coast of the North Island want the 12-mile limit enforced. They say Japanese fishing boats are seriously depleting their fishing grounds, and that the problem is likely to become more critical soon. This claim came from the captain of a kawhai trawler, : Mr M. A. E. Langdon, only a . few hours after a trawler from Onehunga had narrowly avoided colliding with Japanese dories yesterday afternoon. ■»