Media Release

27/08/2013

Fish Processor Fined After Continued Non-Compliance

Cando Fishing Limited was fined just over $88,000 today in the Invercargill District Court after being found guilty on 17 charged relating to the disposal of wastewater from its kina processing plant in Bluff.

Compliance Manager Simon Mapp said the fine was large but it reflected the company’s continued operation outside the requirements of the Resource Management Act.

The 17 charges relate to incidents that occurred between February and December 2011 following the issue of abatement and infringement notices by Environment Southland.

A storage tank was positioned on land next to a channel which led directly to Foveaux Strait.

Mr Mapp said Cando Fishing Limited has since connected to a system that takes the wastewater to an appropriate treatment plant.

Mr Mapp said improving water quality is a key goal for Environment Southland, which currently has a host of initiatives underway and in the pipeline that come under the collective heading of Water and Land 2020 & Beyond. The initiatives are a response to the Government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater and the declining water quality trends in Southland. They are designed to stop further deterioration and to improve water quality in the long term. Water and Land 2020 & Beyond takes a whole-of-community approach to help reduce the impacts of farming, urbanisation and industry on Southland’s water quality.

ENDS

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