Seafood company fined $39k for illegally moving oysters and mussels

A Southland seafood company has been fined $39,000 for illegally moving thousands of oysters and mussels, putting the Bluff oyster fishery at risk.

Fresh is Best NZ was sentenced in the Invercargill District Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to 13 charges under the Biosecurity Act.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said the company illegally moved 6720 live Pacific oysters and 2000kg of live green-lipped mussels into a protected zone on seven occasions.

MPI director of investigations and compliance support Gary Orr said it created a significant risk of spreading the parasite Bonamia ostreae, which had already devastated flat oyster populations.

"The action taken by Fresh is Best was negligent and a serious breach of the controlled area notice," Orr said.

"Bonamia ostreae has had a significant effect on the flat oyster population and we all need to do our part to prevent it from spreading and threatening the future of the natural resource and industry. The movement controls are well understood by the industry and have been in place across areas of the South Island since 2015."

The ministry's investigation began in 2024 when a biosecurity inspector discovered evidence consignments of green lipped mussels were being moved illegally by a group of seafood producers, transporters and processors.

The sentencing was the last in a major investigation that resulted in four other companies convicted over similar offending, the ministry said.