He leaked poison into a creek, killing 1700 fish. He's stuck with the $97k fine

He leaked poison into a creek, killing 1700 fish. He's stuck with the $97k fine

By Jonathan Guildford

Source: stuff

5/26/2020

An employee who killed more than 1700 fish after spilling ammonia into a Christchurch creek has tried — and failed — to escape a $97,000 fine.

Cold storage business Polarcold Stores Ltd broke strict environmental laws when it released ammonia into Kaputone Creek in Belfast, Christchurch in April 2018.

The spill covered a five-kilometre stretch of the creek, killing mainly eels, some of which were longfins — a rare species that is declining in number and regarded as being at risk.

The creek is an important kaimoana site for the Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Iwi.

A cultural impact report from the iwi at the time said members felt the incident wasted their efforts to restore the fishery and habitat.

Polarcold Stores Ltd and its employee, Russell William Trent, were found guilty of the toxic spill in the Christchurch District Court and were fined $145,350, and $97,000 respectively.

Trent appealed the fine on the grounds it was “manifestly excessive”.

A recently released judgment from the appeal hearing outlines new details about the incident.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
4301	N.S. rejects calls for moratorium on fish farming	CBC News	2012-03-15	CA
4302	Florida Law Makes Serving Local Fish an Increasing Challenge	browardpalmbeach	2012-03-15	US
4303	Japan's Tsunami-Stricken Fishermen Chart New Course		2012-03-14	JP
4304	Malaysian fisherman released after three-and-half-year prison sentence	the borneo post	2012-03-13	MY
4305	St. Lawrence River named best place to fish in the country	7 News	2021-03-20	US
4306	Historic River Pollution Threatens Coastal Great Lakes Fish	Associated Press	2021-03-28	US
4307	Black fish was rife in industry across Scotland for decades, says convicted fisherman	shetlandtimes	2012-03-02	UK
4308	What Makes A Robot Fish Attractive? Hint: It's In The Moves	Underwatertimes	2012-03-01	US
4309	Puffer fish chases laser in viral video	Kim I. Hartman	2012-02-25	US
4310	Robot fish prototype leads school of real fish behind it	theverge	2012-02-24	US
4311	Royal fish returns after 46 years at sea	independent	2012-02-19	IE
4312	Fish hybridise themselves extinct in Alpine lakes	newscientist	2012-02-16	CH
4313	Marine Scientists Awarded Grant To Study Ciguatera Fish Poisoning	underwatertimes	2012-02-15	US
4314	First-time angler catches record-breaking fish in English Channel	metro	2012-02-15	UK
4315	Resident recounts the trip water takes from local hills to the ocean	VMS	2016-07-13	CA
4316	A Community Coming Together for Kokanee Conservation	bcfishn	2021-03-28	CA
4317	Salmon farms instigate open door policy for welfare inspectors	The Fish Site	2021-03-25	UK
4318	Reducing global warming matters for freshwater fish species	Radboud University Nijmegen	2021-03-15	NL
4319	Indiana angler catches record-breaking whitefish	foxnews	2021-03-22	US
4320	Missouri angler catches 112-pound invasive black carp	foxnews	2021-03-26	US
4321	Tribes Call on Biden, Congress to Remove Snake River Dams	Associated Press	2021-03-25	CA
4322	Fisherman in Ukraine reels in boy, 11, who got himself stuck on sheet of ice, video shows	foxnews	2021-03-24	UA
4323	Scottish fish farming companies given millions in grants despite huge profits	thenational	2021-03-14	UK
4324	Anti-Freeze Fish Of Antarctica Threatened By Climate Change	Underwatertimes	2012-02-13	CA
4325	Petition Seeks International Investigation Of Canadas Farmed Fish Operations	underwatertimes	2012-02-07	CA

172 of [220 - pages.]