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
226	Grand Forks woman uses forward sonar to hook big lake sturgeon while walleye fishing on Lake of the Woods	wctrib	2024-08-09	US
227	Странные таежные хариусы	ohotniki	2024-08-09	RU
228	A Homemade Aquarium Appeared in a Brooklyn Tree Bed	Associated Press	2024-08-09	US
229	Mitigating cannibalism in farmed largemouth bass	thefishsite	2024-08-09	US
230	Mowi Scotland introduces innovative sea lice modelling	thefishsite	2024-08-09	UK
231	Farming carp with convictions	thefishsite	2024-08-09	IN
232	Fishing record set by West Virginia angler who used 3-year-old daughter's $10 pink rod	Fox News	2024-08-07	US
233	Pennsylvania angler catches beautiful fish rarely seen in Lake Erie	Fox News	2024-08-07	US
234	Federal Infrastructure Funding Is Fueling a Push to Remove Dams	Associated Press	2024-08-07	US
235	Year of the Coho keeps rolling, summer patterns hold inland	chicago.suntimes	2024-08-06	US
236	FWP lifts fishing restrictions on North Fork Flathead	dailymontanan	2024-08-06	US
237	Drugs in the Hudson River? Scientists say river is flush with pharmaceuticals	lohud	2018-02-21	US
238	Riverkeeper plans to sue NY over killing of sturgeon by commercial fishing	lohud	2024-07-20	US
239	Hawaii fishermen and scientists team up tagging ahi tuna	nationalfisherman	2024-07-23	US
240	Every fish in B.C.s Emerald Lake may have to be killed	CBC News	2024-07-22	CA
241	Puffer fish cause over $2.17 million in annual damage to economy	hurriyetdailynews	2024-07-26	TR
242	Peruvian bills could imperil marine biodiversity and artisanal fishing	mongabay	2024-07-26	PE
243	Chris Packham slams cruel eBay sellers posting live fish in fizzy drink bottles	dailymail	2024-07-26	UK
244	Maryland fisherman thinks Northern Snakehead not as dangerous to ecosystem as believed	wbaltv	2024-07-24	US
245	British angler catches the world's biggest GOLDFISH	dailymail	2024-07-26	UK
246	Indigenous communities catch lamprey at Willamette Falls every summer	OPB	2024-08-05	CA
247	Giant Fish Weighing Over 1.5 Ton Caught by Machilipatnam Fishermen	thehansindia	2024-07-28	IN
248	Experts advocate for consuming invasive fish species threatening local ecosystems	yahoo	2024-07-13	PH
249	Swim with the fishes: is tuna tourism just a bit of harmless holiday fun?	headtopics	2024-07-17	AU
250	Illegal fisherman caught hiding salmon up sleeve	BBC News	2024-07-18	UK