Illegal gear in boat

Press, 10 December 1983, Page 9

Illegal gear in boat

PA Wellington Fisheries officers have made their biggest haul of illegal fishing tackle from a squid boat in Wellington.

A rummage team found an estimated 46km of tuna lines and associated tackle during two searches of the South Korean boat Dae Wang 12, which was being checked for a squid-fishing licence.

Ministry of Fisheries officers said the illegal gear was hidden throughout the boat, and they were not amused to find crewmen trying to hide more tackle in parts that had already been searched.

Mr lan Mitchell, a senior fisheries officer, said the tackle was taken to a Customs Department warehouse yesterday to be held in bond.

Mr Mitchell said that discussions were being held to decide if further action would be taken against the boat.

It had not yet been granted a squid licence. Two types of fishing used by one boat could be a lucrative business, said Mr Mitchell. The boat could cast its tuna lines and then leave them for a day or two while it chased squid. When the boat returned to

Wellington to be checked before taking its catch home, the tuna would be buried under squid trays.

Mr Mitchell said such storage was virtually impossible to detect