Fisheries Act 1996

Offences and penalties

233: Knowingly acting in contravention of Act to obtain a benefit

You could also call this:

"Breaking fishing rules to get something valuable is against the law"

You commit an offence if you get a benefit by dealing with fish, aquatic life, or seaweed in a way that breaks the Fisheries Act 1996. You do this if you take, possess, receive, or sell these things in a way that is not allowed. A benefit can be something that is valuable to you or someone else. You also commit an offence if you intend to get a benefit by dealing with these things in a way that breaks the Act. This means you do something on purpose to get something valuable. If you commit one of these offences, you can be penalised as stated in section 252(1). If you break the rules, you can get in trouble. The rules are in place to protect fish, aquatic life, and seaweed. You must follow the Fisheries Act 1996 when dealing with these things.

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This page was last updated on 12 November 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM398681.

Topics:

Environment and resources > Farming and fishingCrime and justice > Criminal law

232: Buying, selling, or possessing fish contrary to Act, or

"Breaking the rules when buying, selling, or keeping fish and seafood"

234: Using hazardous substance to catch or destroy fish, or

"It's illegal to use harmful substances or devices to catch or harm fish in New Zealand waters."

Part 13Offences and penalties

233Knowingly acting in contravention of Act to obtain a benefit

Every person commits an offence who obtains any benefit by knowingly taking, possessing, receiving, procuring, processing, conveying, selling, or otherwise dealing with any fish, aquatic life, or seaweed otherwise than in accordance with this Act.
Every person commits an offence who, with the intention of obtaining any benefit, knowingly takes, possesses, receives, procures, processes, conveys, sells, or otherwise deals with any fish, aquatic life, or seaweed otherwise than in accordance with this Act.
For the purposes of this section, benefit includes any privilege, property, pecuniary advantage, or valuable consideration of any kind whether for that person or any other person.
Every person who commits an offence against subsection (1) or subsection (2) is liable to the penalty set out in section 252(1).

Notes

Section 233: substituted, on 19 March 2004, by section 6 of the Fisheries Amendment Act 2004 (2004 No 6).