More information on marlin heads

Inquiries made by MPI about marlin heads found on Muriwai Beach revealed they are almost certainly linked to recreational fishing activity over the weekend.

Ministry for Primary Industries District Compliance Manager - Manukau, Jacob Hore said fishery officers started making inquiries about the heads when contacted by the Herald on Tuesday afternoon.

“Fishery officers established that there had been a club sports fishing competition in the area. Also, as the conditions were perfect for launching boats on the west coast over the weekend, there were also a lot of non-club recreational fishers out targeting marlin.

“We were able to establish that no commercial boats that might have caught marlin as unintended by-catch were in the area.”

“We also spoke to the fishing club who will be reminding their members to sensibly dispose of fish waste.”

“The key aspect in this case is that if we had been given the opportunity to make inquiries at the time (Sunday), we could have put any concerns to rest regarding the source of the washed up heads.”

MPI encourages people to report any suspicious fishing activity or potential fish dumping incidents to our 0800 4POACHER (0800 476 224) so fishery officers can investigate.

“The more timely the reporting of information, the better the chance of MPI being able to carry out a successful investigation and achieve a resolution,” Mr Hore said.

ENDS

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