A man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for running a black market fishing operation.
The Ministry for Primary Industries says Joung Oh Lee, known as James Lee, was the ringleader of a group which illegally caught and sold 13 tonnes of snapper in Bay of Plenty in 2011.
In sentencing, Judge Harding said Lee had no remorse and was operating a business while bankrupt.
Several other people in his group have also been convicted for breaching the Fisheries Act.
The ministry is pleased with the jail term, saying Lee's actions undermined the sustainable management of snapper.
