A boat owner who took his boat into Fiordland with a dirty hull and the pest seaweed Undaria pinnatifida (Undaria) on its hull has been fined in the Queenstown District Court on Wednesday (20 July).

In late October 2020 Ian Clark departed Bluff for Deep Cove on his vessel Reel Passion. A member of the public alerted Environment Southland (ES) that the Reel Passion had Undaria growing on its hull before it departed Bluff for Deep Cove.

Divers inspected the hull of the vessel at its mooring in Deep Cove in November and confirmed the presence of the invasive seaweed, the hull was also non-compliant with the Clean Hull standards.

ES presented Clark with a Notice of Direction to return the Reel Passion to Bluff by 7 December. He did not return the vessel to Bluff until 16 December.

Clark plead guilty and was fined $5400 at the sentencing, which took place before Judge John Brandts-Giesen on Wednesday, for failing to comply with a Notice of Direction and failing to comply with ES’s Regional Pest Management Plan and Fiordland Marine Regional Pathway Management Plan.

ES biosecurity and biodiversity operations manager Ali Meade said the sentencing was a good reminder of the seriousness of the two plans and the importance of adhering to them. 

“The judge’s decision should indicate to the public that if they were to engage in similar conduct they can expect to receive a significant fine. The judge made remarks in his decision indicating that he would expect the level of fines would increase in the event of similar offending,” she said.

“This sentencing is an important reminder for the public to clean their vessels and understand the rules. If you are going into Fiordland remember to have a current Clean Vessel Pass and ensure your hull and gear complies with the cleanliness standards."

Under the pathway management plan vessels must ensure they have a clean hull before entering within one nautical mile of the landward boundary of the Fiordland Marine Area.