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22 January, 2021
Mystery fish dumper caught in act
The Milford fish dumper has been at it again, discarding filleted frames into the Wairau Creek from a suburban street, but this time he has been caught in the act.
The illegal dumping on Sunday 10 January was spotted by a resident, who photographed the man, including his putting a plastic bin back into a company vehicle.
The incident was reported to Auckland Council, which said it was following up on the evidence provided. Until mid-week the fish frames were still in the creek below the Alma Rd bridge and starting to smell. “It’s disgusting that someone thinks it’s okay to dump them there. It’s not on, especially in suburbia,” said the man who saw the dumping.
This is at least the third occasion over some months that the dumping has occurred. The Rangitoto Observer was contacted by another resident in early November and saw around a dozen dumped fish frames in the creek. A neighbour and a local schoolgirl told the paper then that it was not the first time they had seen and smelled fish in the same spot.
Online chatter pointed the finger at an elderly man who has been seen on a number of occasions lowering a bucket into the creek – possibly for gardening water – but he is not the person responsible for the January dumping.
“It was a middle-aged Caucasian male,” said the witness to the latest drop. He was alerted to the dumping just after 6pm by a loud splash. “They were in a big plastic tub and he put that in the back of his ute.”
The dumping took about 30 seconds. The man then drove off in the direction of Nile Rd. The witness took photographs of his vehicle, showing the branding for a large infrastructure company and its company identification number.
“I was a bit enraged – my heart rate went up through the roof when I saw it,” said the witness, who preferred not to be named.
Within around 10 minutes, he reported the offence to the council. The photographs were provided to the council and to the Observer.
The witness reckons the offender was most likely a recreational fisherman who had been out fishing in the good weather. “He was in sunnies, with a t-shirt and shorts on and sneakers.”
The fish should have been dumped at sea, or disposed of properly on land, not left to rot in the sun near people’s homes, the man said. Of around 10 fish, he thought several looked to be of marginal size.
When the Observer checked the creek the next day, there were eight fish frames visible from the bridge.
Another resident said it was weird and wasteful the way the fish had been gutted and winged. Some seemed to be cut in two and only partially filleted, she said.
Council senior waste advisor Jan Eckersley said enforcement staff were following up the complaint with the company whose vehicle they believed was involved.
Once the illegal dumper was identified, a litter noticed could be served, with a fine of up to $400.
“Illegal dumping is never acceptable, and if we find people repeating the same offence they will face further fines,” she said.
The fish had been removed, she said.
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