WELLINGTON - THREE South Korean fishermen were fined and two boats seized after being caught with hundreds of tonnes of fish caught illegally in New Zealand waters, officials said on Friday.

The South Koreans earlier pleaded guilty to providing 'false and misleading' declarations for more than 770 tons (700 metric tons) of fish, a Fisheries Ministry official said. The offenses occurred during eight fishing trips in 2007.

'The offending was deliberate, serious and difficult to detect,' ministry investigations manager Mike Green said in a statement.

Kim Dae Geun, Pyon Se Hun, and Bae Gap Joo were fined a total of 360,000 New Zealand dollars (S$326,345) earlier this week.

The two fishing boats were forfeited to the New Zealand government. Fishing companies can usually recover confiscated boats by applying to a court and paying a substantial fine.

Mr Green said the fish species involved was 'expensive and difficult to obtain' in one license area - so the boats caught their quota in another area and then misreported where it had been caught. 'Any fisher or fishing company that embarks on this type of offending is doing so for pure greed,' Mr Green said. -- AP