One of the crayfishermen who has been threatened with being trespassed from the Jackson Bay wharf, in south Westland, has hit out at Westland Property Ltd which is collecting overdue levies for the use of the wharf.
Denis Nyhon, of Wanaka, has been invoiced $28,000 to cover the last three years.
He says he is "appalled" at being charged $300 per tonne of crayfish landed, rather than the $100 per tonne he believed had been agreed at a meeting in Haast on October 13, 2009.
In a letter to the Westland District Council, which owns Westland Property, Mr Nyhon said he found the charge "completely unacceptable".
"Do you seriously think that is justifiable to expect an individual to incur charges of this nature, on top of what is a very trying year for fishermen, who are paying record prices for fuel, lease of quota and insurance?"
My Nyhon told the Otago Daily Times he offered to pay $1800 per year, which was similar to the amount he paid to use wharves at Milford Sound and Bluff.
He considered more of the damage at the Jackson Bay wharf was caused by fin-fish boats, rather than crayfishing boats.
"Make no mistake, it is the weight and the size of the vessel that causes the wear and tear, not the value of the catch on board."
Mr Nyhon said he has the option of landing his 70-tonne annual catch at Milford Sound and if he did so, that could lead to lost jobs in Westland.
Cra8 management committee chairman Malcolm Lawson said yesterday he had requested a meeting with the council and the property company to resolve the issue of wharf levies and repairs.
He believed a steering committee of council and fishermen should be set up to determine what maintenance the wharf needed and then to set a budget and the rate to be paid by users.
Mr Lawson said there was no basis for the $300-per-tonne charge.
A spokesman for the property company said yesterday only three out of 42 fishermen had not yet paid.
