Snapper is a favourite amongst many New Zealanders for it’s versatility in the kitchen and beautiful flavour.

Illegal Snapper Operation Leads to Jail Time for Ex-Fishing Firm Director

NEW ZEALAND
Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Glen Owen Wright Sentenced to 16 Months for Illegal Capture of Nearly 15 Tons of Snapper and Obstructing Fisheries Officers

AUCKLAND – A former director of a fishing company, Glen Owen Wright, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison by the Auckland District Court for his involvement in a black market operation that included the illegal capture and landing of nearly 15 tonnes of snapper, in addition to over 140kg of kahawai and 40kg of grey mullet. Wright, 37, is currently incarcerated for unrelated offenses.

Prosecutors detailed that Wright's company, All Weather Fishing Company Limited, carried out these illegal catches without the required quota and without reporting or recording the fish. Wright faced a representative charge under the Fisheries Act for failing to prevent the offending, as well as for obstructing a fishery officer, as reported by Fisheries NZ.

Steve Ham, Fisheries NZ's compliance director, emphasized that Wright's sentencing marks the end of a "long" investigation, which included successful prosecutions of another company and individuals for related offending. "The court’s sentence... should send a strong message that there are serious consequences for anyone involved in this type of black market trade," Ham stated.

"The company did not have the required quota to legally catch the fish and did not report or record the catch. The rules are there to ensure sustainability for everyone," Ham added. The court found Mr. Wright was aware that fish was being caught and landed illegally by his company but did nothing to prevent it. "The vast majority of commercial fishers do the right thing. This fish was stolen, and the motivation was greed and profit," Ham emphasized.

The illegally caught fish was traced to another prosecution case. In August last year, Sea World Limited, which traded as Seamart, and an employee, Marco Taukatelata, were sentenced at the Auckland District Court. Taukatelata received a jail term of three years and seven months. A former company director, 43-year-old Haihong Liu, also appeared in court and was sentenced to 12 months' home detention on two charges, including an attempt to pervert the course of justice. Seamart was fined $360,000 for illegally supplying fish valued at over $348,000 to other seafood companies last year, according to Fisheries NZ.

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