The Short Title of this Act is “The Fisheries Conservation Act 1884 Amendment Act, 1887.”

“The Fisheries Conservation Act, 1884,” is herein referred to as “the said Act,” and this Act shall be read with the said Act.

The penalty that may be imposed under the provisions of section five of the said Act shall, in respect of the breach of any regulations respecting seals, be any sum not exceeding five hundred pounds, and a further penalty of not exceeding twenty pounds for every seal illegally taken.

If any person shall be found in the possession of any seal, or the unmanufactured product of any seal, during the close season, such possession shall, for the purposes of the said Act and this Act, be deemed to be, in the absence of satisfactory evidence to the contrary, sufficient proof that such seal, or the seal from which such unmanufactured product has been obtained, has been illegally taken during the close season.

Any vessel or boat the crew of which, or any part of the crew of which, shall be engaged in illegally taking seals, and any vessel or boat on board of which any seal so illegally taken, or the skin, oil, blubber or other product of a seal so illegally taken, shall be found, shall, together with the boats, furniture, and appurtenances of such vessel or boat, be forfeited to Her Majesty, and shall be disposed of as the Commissioner may think fit.

The officer in command of any vessel in Her Majesty’s Navy, or any officer of Customs, or the master or other person in command of any vessel belonging to Her Majesty in the colony, or which may be in the employ of the Government of the colony, may, either with or without sailors, marines, or police officers, or such other person or persons as he may think fit to employ, enter upon, take, and seize any vessel so liable to be forfeited as aforesaid, if found within the jurisdiction of the Government of the Colony of New Zealand.

Every such officer, master, or person in command as aforesaid, or any officer of Customs shall, with or without sailors, marines, or police officers, or such other person or persons as he may think fit to employ, have power, at any time and from time to time to enter upon and search any vessel within the jurisdiction of the Government of the Colony of New Zealand for any seal or the product of any seal; and any person refusing to allow such search to be made, or obstructing or impeding any such search, shall be liable, on summary conviction of such offence: for the first offence to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for any term not less than three nor more than six months, and for the second or any subsequent offence to any term not less than six nor more than twelve months.