A Wairoa poacher has been sent to prison for catching and trading recreationally caught crayfish.
Fisheries NZ says 60-year-old John Nohotima was the key to the black market ring which sold a total of 4,664 crays valued at nearly $300,000.
He appeared in Wairoa District Court yesterday and was sentenced for falsifying customary permits.
Other members of the black-market have also been sentenced to community service and home detention orders including his sister, responsible for 210 unlicensed sales.
Fisheries NZ regional compliance manager Jodie Cole spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
