$5 million trawler confiscated

The $5 million Tomi Mari 86 has been confiscated by the crown and it’s master fined $13,000 plus court costs for fishing inside New Zealand’s 40km exclusion zone in July and August of last year.

 The boat was one of two vessels seized under operation Taurus, a Ministry of Fisheries investigation into the activities of foreign fishing vessels.

 The fate of the boat has yet to be decided but a similar boat was returned to the owner upon payment of a redemption fee of $200,000, but the confiscated fish was not returned and was later sold for $100,000.