A former commercial fisher has been fined $50,000 after illegally selling seaweed online.
In November 2022, fishery officers discovered an online post advertising liquid seaweed fertiliser in 1000-litre containers for $500, and $20 for a 20-litre bucket. A search warrant of a property found 14 of these containers of liquid seaweed fertiliser.
Analysis of the seaweed found it to be Macrocystis pyrifera, which can be used for fertiliser and in some food products.
Ryan Campbell McManaway, 36, was sentenced at the Invercargill District Court on September 26 on four charges under the Fisheries Act, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
He was fined an additional $3000 on three charges of failing to comply with a directive to attend an interview with a Fishery Officer.
Garreth Jay, Fisheries New Zealand’s regional manager (south) said McManaway was not a commercial fisher at the time, and had no legitimate right to harvest and sell the seaweed as a fertiliser.
During their investigation, fishery officers also found an industrial mincer with six implements that had seaweed on them, along with various other pieces of seaweed at his property.
Jay said McManaway could have potentially earned several thousand dollars from this illegal operation.
“When we find evidence of people breaking the rules that are there to protect the sustainability of our fisheries resources and the livelihood of legitimate commercial operators, we will hold them to account,” he said.
Seaweeds are critical to marine and coastal environments, providing habitats and food for a wide range of marine organisms. Any commercial harvest of seaweed is carefully managed through a permitting and reporting system.
