Photo: Unbsplash / Stephanie Moody
A Gisborne man has been sentenced to two months in jail for repeatedly poaching crayfish from a marine reserve.
Duke Matahiki was first apprehended by police at Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve on 8 November last year, when a police dog located a hidden sack of crayfish.
Under the Marine Reserves Act 1971, it is illegal to take any marine life from a reserve, punishable by up to three months imprisonment.
The following day, CCTV recorded Matahiki attempting to recover the crayfish catch, which police had released back into the reserve.
Less than a month later, on 6 December at about 11.30pm, Matahiki was apprehended once again by a joint operation involving the Department of Conservation, Fisheries New Zealand and the police, this time with 12 kina and five crayfish, all of which were released back into the water.
At the Rotorua District Court this month, Judge David Cameron sentenced Matahiki to two months in prison.
DoC's Gisborne operations manager Matt Tong said this was one of the strongest sentences he'd seen - "and it sends a clear message; don't poach from a marine reserve".
