Tag Archives: possible forfeiture

Forfeited: Seafood firm loses $20m vessel after trawling in protected area

Seafood company Sanford Limited has lost a $20 million fishing vessel after it admitted trawling in a protected fishing area off the coast of Stewart Island. The Christchurch District Court has ordered the company to forfeit the San Waitaki, a 64m deep water stern trawler with a processing factory and freezer facilities on board, to the Crown. The company has also been fined $36,000. In February, Sanford pleaded guilty to trawling in a lower buffer zone of a benthic protected area (BPA). >click to read< 21:39

Caught: New Zealand Company faces losing $20m trawler fishing in a protected zone

Sanford Ltd, and two employees, skipper/master Grant Walker and first mate William Lash, used trawl nets on several occasions in a Benthic Protection Area (BPA) in New Zealand seas in 2017 and 2018. The company, along with Walker and Lash, have pleaded guilty to breaches of the Fisheries Regulations and are being sentenced at Christchurch District Court. Sanford is the registered owner of the 64m deep-water stern trawler San Waitaki,, On both trips, 50-year-old self-employed fishermen Walker and Lash, 45, trawled along the Puysegur BPA seabeds on several occasions. Sanford said they relied on the professionalism of the master and crew of their vessels to follow company instructions and be familiar with all the relevant laws. >click to read< 21:35