Poachers netted at Diversion

Five vineyard workers have been caught taking fish illegally at the Wairau Diversion in two separate Nelson Marlborough Fish&Game busts.

Field officer Vaughan Lynn said whitebaiters were keeping authorities well informed of people setting gill nets, because of the threat of trout poaching.

Under a code developed in the 1980s, gill netting was banned in the Wairau Diversion. Gill nets are allowed only in the Lower Wairau River downstream of Baldick's Bend on Wairau Bar Rd.

Mr Lynn said Fish&Game had responded to two separate incidents in the last two weeks after tip-offs from the public.

On November 14, three vineyard workers, fishing with gill nets, were caught with 118 kahawai and four red cod, more than twice the recreational bag limit of 20 fish per person, he said.

The offenders were also found with brown trout and several dozen yellow eyed mullet.

Mr Lynn said the group broke several set netting regulations: two unlabelled nets were used from one vessel, more than 25 per cent of the channel width had been blocked and some of the nets were staked.

The two nets, fish, a 3.6-metre aluminium boat and a trailer were seized, an infringement notice issued and the group given diversion. Any future offences were likely to result in prosecution, Mr Lynn said.

In a separate incident on November 19 at the Wairau Diversion officers caught two vineyard workers illegally taking fish with a gill net.

Mr Lynn said they were caught using an incorrectly marked net spanning more than 25 per cent of the channel.

Their net was seized and more than 30 live fish released. The men were also in possession of another 33 dead kahawai.

Mr Lynn said the men claimed to be ignorant of bag limits and said they regularly took this amount of fish. They were issued $500 worth of infringement notices.