BY MELVILLE TITIULU
Principal Magistrate, Mrs Emily Zazariko Vagibule Pakoa, on Monday, March 30, imposed a $500 penalty fine on a salt fish market vendor, for breaching the existing market rules and directives issued by the central market master.
Mrs Christina Kori of Suava Island, North Malaita was charged for failure to comply with a direction from the market manager contrary to S9(1)(a) and S10(a) as read with S11 of the HCC (Markets) ordinance 2011.
The maximum penalty fine is $10,000- as prescribed under the ordinance.
The defendant pleaded guilty to that charge and was later fined with $500- payable by Monday, March 30.
The penalty fine was imposed after the court took into consideration the defendant’s extenuating circumstances at the sentence hearing held at the Magistrate courtroom 2, on Monday, March 30.
Failure to pay by the date set by the court means she will risk being served 20 days at the Rove Correctional Centre.
The court heard that the defendant, on Monday, March 27, 2026, at about 5pm, failed to comply with a directive from the market manager by unloading a red tray containing salt fish at the central market boat ramp area, a prohibited area for salt fish vendors.
Mr Robert Madeo is the Director of the HCC Law Enforcement Division. He told Island Sun that his HCC law enforcement officers will continue to enforce this regulation and monitor activities from salt fish market vendors who continue to breach the existing market rules and directives issued by market authorities.
Mr Bodley Sekekana is the acting market master at the central market. He said most of the illegal salt fish sellers normally take their catch from the foreign fishing vessels anchoring outside the central market.
He said the boat ramp area is a prohibited area after a public notice was issued to all salt fish vendors – including fresh bonito and yellow fin vendors, to not sell their catch at the central market.
The HCC has designated an area for them to sell their fish which is the White River fish market.
Only reef fish is allowed to be sold at the central market.
Luisa Pitisopa, food safety officer from the HCC Environmental Health Division, reminded salt fish vendors at the White River market that their team will continue to monitor the surrounding environment to ensure that best health practices are observed, such as proper ice storage in the sale of salt fish.
A salt fish market vendor who requested anonymity and sells her fish at the White River fish market told Island Sun that the current arrangements in place really hit her hard financially.
She said most of her fish supply comes from the foreign fishing vessels harboring at the central market.
And given the distance from central market to White River fish market, this means she has to spend more money to transport her fish supply from one point to another, affecting her financial savings.
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