Two travellers have been fined for trying to bring protected corals and shells back to New Zealand after tropical holidays.
Some of the shells that were retrieved by the Department of Conservation. Photo: Supplied / DOC
Some shells and corals found in Pacific Islands are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
One of the travellers was returning from the Cook Islands in late May and did not declare six giant clam shells weighing more than 1kg in his belongings. The shells were intended to be used as bathroom decoration.
The other person was returning to New Zealand from Fiji in early June and failed to declare several pieces of stony coral. The person collected the corals to use as ornaments for a fish tank.
In both cases the travellers initially declared some wildlife items to border officials, but their luggage was stopped in the X-ray machine and the shells and corals were spotted.
Department of Conservation team lead border operations Clinton Turner said the two cases reinforced the need for New Zealanders to be aware of the rules about bringing wildlife items into the country.
"If people are travelling overseas and they think they may bring items of the wildlife it's important they check the rules first so they know what to do."
Turner said if anyone found that collected items were protected species, they could either leave them where they were, or they could bring them back to New Zealand, but they must get a permit for them first.
Declaring the items correctly was also crucial, he said.
"Unfortunately, they did declare they had some corals and clams when they were asked, but they did not declare all of it. Those ones that were declared were removed from them and then they were taken to the baggage X-ray and further undeclared items were located."
Turner said people arriving at the border needed to know the contents of their luggage and be honest with border officials about what they were bringing into the country.
"If not, it could be an expensive lesson," he said.
The travellers were both fined $600 under the Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989 for importing the items without the required permits.
Wildlife protected by CITES generally needs permits to legally be brought into the country. More information can be found on the Department of Conservation website.