A Wairoa man who poached and sold thousands of crayfish worth nearly $300,000 in total has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.
John Nohotima, 60, was today told in the Wairoa District Court that he would be imprisoned for two years and two-and-a-half months on one representative charge following a prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Nohotima sold 4664 recreationally-harvested crayfish to a black market ring and people in his wider community, earning $68,690 through his illegal actions.
Meanwhile his sister Anne Nohotima, 53, was sentenced to 100 hours community work in the Tauranga District Court today for her part in the poaching, having sold 210 of her brother's poached crayfish.
Ten other members of the black market ring were sentenced in March to home detention and community work for their roles.
Fisheries New Zealand regional fisheries compliance manager Jodie Cole said John Nohotima was the "key" to the ring's operation.
“Mr Nohotima used falsified customary permits to illegally harvest this crayfish with around 16 craypots, fishing from the waters near Mahia Peninsula. The crayfish was on-sold to the Kawerau-based ringleaders who distributed the crayfish throughout Auckland, Kawerau, Tauranga, Gisborne, Wairoa, Mahia and Napier," he said in a statement.
“It was organised offending involving a number of people. The poaching ringleader, Martin Te Iwingaro Ernest Paul (49) who was earlier sentenced to nine months home detention, would provide details of often [fictitious] events to Mr Nohotima who would use these to obtain customary permits from Kaitiaki [local guardians or trustees]."
Cole said Nohotima used different Kaitiaki to hide the number of crayfish he was harvesting.
In total, he gained 72 permits between December 28 and July 21, 2021, and sold the crayfish between September 1, 2020 and August 1, 2021.
"Local iwi and marae leaders had no knowledge or involvement in the offending and are also victims of this deception," Cole continued.
"Not all permits gained were for [fictitious] events, however our evidence found the legitimate permits were also used to sell crayfish illegally. The commercial value of the crayfish taken was $298,517."
Cell phones, craypots, vehicles and a six-metre fibreglass boat and trailer were forfeited to the Crown.
"If you’re offered seafood at a price that appears too good to be true – assume it was probably harvested illegally. We’d advise not to buy it, and to let us know who offered it to you."
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