Buy a licence and save a tidy sum

A Rotorua man caught twice in a row with no fishing licence who also tried to lie his way out of trouble – could have saved himself a “tidy sum” if he’d bought a licence at the start.

Twenty-nine year-old Desmond Hilton Morunga was first found fishing without a licence by a Fish & Game ranger in February this year.

He was issued with an offence notice and his fishing gear was seized.

Fish & Game Officer Anthony van Dorp says that only a matter of days later he was caught again and tried to give false details – but was caught out and charged with this offence.

Morunga has appeared in the Rotorua District Court where he pleaded guilty to the three charges and was ordered to pay $1590 in fines and costs, and forfeited two sets of fishing gear.

Mr van Dorp says: “the message is painfully clear, buy a fishing licence at the start and play by the rules – and you’ll save yourself hundreds of dollars.”

A few others could learn the same lesson, he adds. Over the past eight months, more than half of the 70-plus offences Fish & Game has dealt with have been fishing without a licence.

“Fish & Game doesn’t receive any funding from Government and is a not for profit organisation. Fish and game management is funded solely from licences – so those who don’t purchase a license are impacting on opportunities and placing an unfair burden on those who do.”

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