Marlborough aquaculture company fined $24,000

Marlborough aquaculture company Waimana Marine has been fined $24,000 after illegally moving almost 80 tonnes of live green-lipped mussels, and over 6,700 Pacific oysters from a containment zone. A freight company has also been fined $15,000 for transporting the shellfish.

Waimana Marine was sentenced in Nelson District Court on Wednesday June 10th, 2026, on 14 charges under the Biosecurity Act. It pleaded guilty following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Solly's Freight Limited was fined $15,000 after pleading guilty to four Biosecurity Act charges for transporting shellfish involved in the offending.

"The movements were in breach of Bonamia Ostreae-Controlled Area Notices, in place to prevent the transmission and spread of the parasite that kills flat oysters and has the potential to decimate our wild oyster fisheries," said Gary Orr, Director of Investigations and Compliance Support at MPI.  

"Our investigations found 14 occasions when Waimana Marine Limited arranged the commercial movement of green-lipped mussels totalling 79,976.30kg, and 6,720 individual Pacific oysters from the Upper South Contained Zone in breach of the controlled area notice."

Orr says several of the movements were to a Bluff facility. The shellfish were kept alive in tanks for several weeks before water from those tanks was discharged into the Foveaux Strait, home to the Bluff oyster fishery. Bluff is in a protected zone because of its wild oyster population. A Bluff-based licensed fish receiver and wholesaler will be sentenced later this month at Invercargill District Court on related charges. 

"Waimana Marine Limited's action was a serious breach of the Bonamia Ostreae Controlled Area Notice - put in place to prevent the spread of the unwanted organism Bonamia Ostreae," said Orr, adding that the offending has the potential to cause significant damage beyond the immediate businesses involved. 

The defendant also sent several consignments of live green-lipped mussels to processing factory Ikana New Zealand Limited in Christchurch for live export.

"The majority of people who work in the aquaculture industry are responsible and do the right thing by following all rules and regulations. Waimana Marine Limited's negligent actions could have caused serious harm to the Bluff oyster industry, the reputation of our country's multimillion-dollar export, and our domestic shellfish industry," he says.

Solly's transported eight consignments of green-lipped mussels for Waimana Marine Limited from outside the contained zone and into an unaffected zone to Ikana New Zealand Limited's factory. Solly's also moved a further 27 consignments of green-lipped mussels that were harvested in the contained zone and supplied by Aroma Aquaculture to Ikana's factory. Aroma Aquaculture was fined $24,000 in May for its part in the offending, while Ikana New Zealand was fined $30,o00 in March. 

MPI actively encourages anyone seeing or suspecting illegal activity to report their findings through the Ministry for Primary Industries 0800 POACHER line (0800 476 224).