The measures have been taken to help deter and detect any illegal fishing in the Horoirangi Marine Reserve, between Glenduan and Cable Bay, and the Tonga Island Marine Reserve off Abel Tasman National Park. In the last two years, the DOC Motueka team had investigated six illegal fishing incidents in the Horoirangi Marine Reserve. “No taking of marine life is allowed in marine reserves and this enables the marine ecosystems to return to a more natural state and marine species within them to become more abundant.”Anyone who breaks the rules in marine reserves can now face fines through infringement notices, an additional enforcement measure to DOC’s existing tools of warning letters and prosecution. Wilsons Abel Tasman chief executive Darryl Wilson​ said he supported the appointment of a marine reserves ranger. However, he said the “biggest bugbear” in marine reserves was breaches of the marine mammal viewing regulations.

Source: Stuff October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC