Four Southland men have been caught fishing illegally at the Waiau River mouth as part of a joint operation aimed at enforcing whitebaiting regulations.
The operation, conducted by Police and the Department of Conservation (DOC), took place between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., outside of the legal fishing hours.
The men’s nets were confiscated, and they now face enforcement actions from DOC, including possible fines or court prosecution. The penalties for illegal whitebaiting can also involve the destruction of fishing equipment, with any caught whitebait being returned to the river.
The joint initiative, called Operation Inaka, involves Police, DOC, Fisheries New Zealand, and Te Rūnaka o Ōraka-Aparima, targeting illegal fishing, antisocial behaviour, and impaired driving during the whitebaiting season, which runs until October 30.
Senior Sergeant Pete Graham of Western Southland Area emphasized the importance of compliance with the regulations, encouraging whitebaiters to familiarise themselves with the rules. DOC Operations Manager John McCarroll added that following the regulations is crucial to ensure the sustainable management of whitebait, a valued resource.
Oh big deal. When you see what the govts of this country have done to us, selling us out to foreign interests, this is beyond trivial.
Oh how terrible, but what’s worse is there are police out there wasting their resources. What a sad country.
Our resources, we pay for this…..
Wouldn’t eat the muck if you paid me
In the fraction of a second before I remembered that whitebait is a fish, I thought the title referred to people calling white people racist because they are white – more CRT nonsense.