A Tauranga man caught illegally selling 9000kg of fish in a black market sting has been found guilty of seven offences under the Fisheries Act.

Joung Oh Lee, or James as he is known, was convicted in Tauranga District Court yesterday on charges related to illegal sales of fish that took place on seven occasions between September and November 2011.

Newfish II.

The Ministry of Primary Industries says that while Lee was not the formal director of ECZIW Fishing Ltd, the permit holder, he was in all material respects the owner and operator of this business.

In court yesterday, Judge Christopher Harding delivered his reserved decision following a defended hearing earlier this month.

Judge Harding said he was satisfied the seven charges had been proven and there was no evidence to support Lee misunderstanding his position in regards to his legal obligations.

Lee was busted during a surveillance operation by fisheries officers, codenamed Waterfowl, in late 2011.

The operation included monitoring activities of his company's trawler Newfish II and watching bins of fish being unloaded from the vessel onto a chiller truck while berthed at Tauranga.

MPI estimates 13 tonnes of catch, primarily snapper, was disposed of on the black-market to outlets at Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland.

Operation Waterfowl detected offenders in every link of the black-market chain including commercial fishers, truck drivers, first receiver, onto second receivers of the illegal fish, including fish shops and takeaway businesses.

Lee's guilty conviction follows that of Tauranga man Wayne Terrence Howell, who was convicted under the Fisheries Act 1996 of making false statements in fishing returns for a benefit.

He was sentenced to 12 months home detention and 200 hours of community service in Tauranga District Court on November 18.

The court also ordered forfeiture of the Newfish II 4363 - the Tauranga-based commercial trawler being used by Howell at the time of the offences in 2011.

In delivering his sentence, Judge Ingram referred to recent substantial publicity regarding fish stocks that has led the authorities to consider altering catch limits.

Read more about Howell's sentencing here.

Lee was remanded on bail for sentencing next month.