A man has been charged with fishing in a marine reserve overnight on Auckland's North Shore.
Police said its maritime unit received reports of the man's midnight fishing expedition in the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve earlier this week.
This reserve covered 980 hectares of coastal habitats, and was a "no-take" area, meaning fishing was prohibited. Access to the beach was also locked at night, so police said the suspect may have driven through private property.
Inspector Vaughn Graham said CCTV footage showed the man visiting the reserve on three different occasions within the last week.
Graham said at around 12.40am this morning, the police Eagle helicopter observed a man illegally fishing at the reserve.
"Ground units were dispatched and swiftly located the man.
"Fishing equipment and number of freshly caught fish were in his possession, and he was arrested."
The man's car was searched, with police also finding drugs and related paraphernalia.
"This was a great collaboration between the Police Maritime Unit, the Police Eagle Helicopter and units on the ground to catch an offender who decided marine protection laws didn’t apply to him."
A 32-year-old man has been charged with two counts of unlawfully being in an enclosed area, and further charges were being considered.
He was due to appear in the North Shore District Court on April 24.
Department of Conservation operations manager marine Kirsty Prior said marine reserves were no-take areas and contributed to a healthier and abundant ocean for all New Zealanders.
"At Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve, fishing, shellfish gathering, and any other disturbance of marine life is strictly prohibited.
"We’re thankful to the NZ Police for their support in stopping people taking from these vitally important reserves."
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