6 Oct 2011

Jail term for illegal whitebating

6:46 pm on 6 October 2011

The first prison term has been handed down for illegal whitebaiting to an Opotiki man who also threatened Department of Conservation rangers.

Peter Warren, 57, had been remanded in custody for 10 weeks since being found guilty on six charges of taking whitebait illegally and two of threatening Department of Conservation rangers.

On Thursday, the Opotiki District Court jailed him for eight months.

Warren took about 10kg of whitebait from the Huntress Creek floodgate three times in August and September last year.

DoC's programme manager of biodiversity assets in Gisborne and Whakatane, James Holborow, says rangers found Warren fishing on three occasions within 20 metres of a floodgate, giving the whitebait very little chance.

Warren was not present in court on Thursday.