The Green Room
A Napier District Court judge has just dealt our marine reserves a vicious blow by condoning a fisherman caught trophy hunting inside a marine reserve as "he was simply passing though"
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2769509/Fish-just-passing-visitors-judge
My thoughts...
• The Judge needs to get some reading glasses and actually read the Act
• Outrageous!
• Saying that “He’s simply passing though your reserve hoping to meet a marlin or two” is a blatant disregard for the rules.
• This sends a clear message to fishers that it is perfectly ok to fish inside marine reserves – providing the fish are ‘not residents’ and simply passing through.
• Blaming low res. GPS is like saying you didn’t see the speed limit cos you didn’t put the right glasses on – he should know the rules and should have avoided the boundaries.
• What about sharks, snapper, trevally, crayfish and other mainre life that 'pass through' - are they fair game Mr Judge????
• $500 fine is just pathetic!
• Earlier this year govt. ruled DOC can’t act as applicant for MR’s, this now only pushes the likelihood of getting more MRs further away.
• Disgraceful undermining of the Act and very important role the Department play in safeguarding our marine life.
• DOC have minimal capacity as it is to manage marine reserves and this blatant breach of the rules is one that should be given maximum penalty.
• The Act is clear:
- no fishing inside a marine reserve (only exceptions when agreed by Minister for scientific study) (Section 3(3))
- Preserve in natural state - s.2(a)
- The marine life of the reserves shall as far as possible be protected and preserved – s.2(b)
- public shall have freedom of access and entry to the reserves, so that they may enjoy in full measure the opportunity to study, observe, and record marine life in its natural habitat. – S.2(d)
• Is great that Mr Van Der Zwet likes marine reserves and want more of them – so do we. Shame he doesn’t respect the rules and support what they stand for.
• Trophy hunting large ocean predators like marlin to show off to your mates is a sad sorry way of demonstrating your respect for life in the sea.
I have to agree Kirstie. Why bother having marine reserves if they are not protected?
Why bother having a law if the judge is going to sympathise and say, its ok to fish there as long as you were just passing through. Can a commercial trawler now go through the marine reserves and say they were just passing through as were the fish?
It really goes to show that at very high levels in NZ, people are not serious about marine recovery and sustainability.
So if say a kiwi was just "passing through" a national park it would be OK for me to go an shoot it, especially if I said "honest your honour, I had no idea I was in the national park, even though I have my GPS right here with me giving my exact coordinates, so how about a gentle slap and we'll pretend it never happened?"
It reads as a stupid off the cuff comment made by the judge in relation to the sentencing of the attempted poacher....you would like to think its not a genuine precedent on a point of law.
But yes agreed, like the previous discussion on seal shooting this is another example of the general disregard of our society for marine protection.
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