Community service for selling blackmarket crayfish
A 36-year-old with a bad criminal record, who sold blackmarket crayfish to Christchurch outlets, has received a community-based sentence in the Christchurch District Court today.
Tony Ratahi Mahara, was sentenced on four charges of breaching the Fisheries Act by knowingly selling crayfish to the shops and restaurants between October 2011 and January 2012.
Mahara did not have defence counsel in court, and he told Judge Paul Kellar that he would not do it again, as he wouldn’t be so naive.
He pleaded guilty to the charges just before the start of an eight-day trial on July 29, and was given a sentencing indication and bail until his appearance today.
Judge Kellar said the Ministry of Fisheries was investigating the activities of a commercial fisherman who was selling the crayfish to a number of people including Mahara.
Mahara bought the crayfish for between $20, for the small ones, and $40 for the larger live ones, and on-sold them for between $25 and $75.
He said Mahara’s text messages confirmed the transactions – some of which were for over 60 crayfish at a time – and he would have received about $1000 per transaction.
Judge Kellar said crayfish was one of the most valuable fish in New Zealand, and Mahara was avoiding levies and taxes, and had abused the quota management system.
Mahara had 81 prior convictions for a range of offending.
He was sentenced to 10 months’ home detention, and 100 hours community work.
Mahara’s co-offender, fisherman Isacc Lee Albert Kereama, 37, is due to be sentenced on September 16.
A judge has indicated he is likely to get a home detention sentence, but may have to forfeit his $65,000 leased fishing boat, a flat deck truck, and his lobster pots and fishing gear.
Category: News
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