Three people have been prosecuted for whitebaiting in on the Waitutu River in Fiordland National Park. The penalties for an offence under the act includes fines up to $100,000, a term of two years' imprisonment or both. Department Of Conservation (Doc) principal ranger biodiversity in Te Anau Tony Preston said the guilty verdict sends a strong message that flouting the rules is unacceptable. "Whitebaiting in National Parks without authorisation is illegal. The south coast boundary of Fiordland National Park is the mean high water spring mark which crosses all main rivers, including the Waitutu.''

Source: Otago Daily Times October 02, 2019 23:15 UTC