A Marlborough aquaculture company that illegally moved nearly 80 tonnes of live green-lipped mussels and over 6,700 individual pacific oysters from a containment zone, has been fined $24,000. A freight company was fined $15,000 for its part in transporting the shellfish.
Waimana Marine Limited was today (10 June) sentenced on 14 charges under the Biosecurity Act. It pleaded guilty in the Nelson District Court following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Gary Orr, MPI director of investigations and compliance support, says both companies are part of a wider investigation by Biosecurity New Zealand into the illegal movement of shellfish from a contained zone into protected and unaffected zones.
“The movements were in breach of Bonamia ostreae controlled-area notice, in place to prevent the transmission and spread of the parasite that kills flat oysters and has the potential to decimate our wild oyster fisheries.
“Our investigation found 14 occasions when Waimana Marine Limited arranged the commercial movement of green-lipped mussels totalling 79,976.30 kg and 6,720 individual pacific oysters from the Upper South Contained zone in breach of the controlled-area notice.”
Mr Orr says several of the movements were to Bluff, which is in a protected zone because of its wild oyster population. A Bluff-based licenced fish receiver and wholesaler will be sentenced later this month in the Invercargill District Court on related charges.
“Waimana Marine Limited’s action was a serious breach of the Bonamia ostreae controlled-area notice – put in place to prevent the spread of the unwanted organism Bonamia ostreae.”
In October 2024, a Biosecurity New Zealand inspector discovered Waimana Marine Limited had been sending consignments of live green-lipped mussels and pacific oysters from the Upper South Contained zone to a facility in Bluff. They were kept alive in tanks for several weeks, and the water was discharged into the Foveaux Strait – the home of the Bluff oyster fishery. The defendant also sent several consignments of live green-lipped mussels to processing factory Ikana New Zealand Limited in Christchurch, for live export.
“The majority of people who work in the aquaculture industry are responsible and do the right thing by following all rules and regulations. Waimana Marine Limited’s negligent actions could have caused serious harm to the Bluff oyster industry, the reputation of our country’s multi-million-dollar export, and our domestic shellfish industry. When we find evidence of offending, we take action,” Mr Orr says.
In a related case, transport company Sollys Freight Limited was also sentenced in the Nelson District Court after pleading guilty to 4 charges under the Biosecurity Act.
Sollys transported 8 consignments of green-lipped mussels for Waimana Marine Limited from outside of the Upper South Contained zone and into the unaffected zone to Ikana New Zealand Limited’s factory. Sollys moved a further 27 consignments of green-lipped mussels that were harvested in the contained zone and supplied by Aroma Aquaculture to Ikana’s factory. In March, Ikana New Zealand was fined $30,000 for its role in the offending. Aroma Aquaculture was fined $24,000 in May for its part.
Canterbury aquaculture company fined $24,000 for shellfish biosecurity breaches (13 May 2026)
We encourage people to report any suspected illegal activity through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224).
