The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) together with the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP), and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) have reinforced their commitment to combatting illegal fishing with the conviction of a Rennel Island man on 19 November 2014 for the illegal possession of sea cucumbers or Beche De Mer.
Mr Eddie Savage was convicted in the Yorke Island Magistrate’s Court, in Torres Strait, Queensland for being in possession of approximately 3000 processed sea cucumbers (also known as Beche De Mer) at Rennel Island in the Torres Strait Protected Zone (TSPZ) on 5 February 2014 without a commercial fishing licence.
AFMA Torres Strait Compliance Manager John Jones said that AFMA continues to work closely with QBFP to target fishers doing the wrong thing.
“AFMA takes illegal fishing very seriously,” said Mr Jones.
“Illegal fishing undermines the management practices in place to ensure the sustainability of the fishery, and I encourage any suspected illegal fishing to be reported.”
Sea cucumbers are a high value fisheries product in great demand in Asia for both their medicinal and edible qualities. Only three sea cucumbers per person or six per boat can be taken or possessed for recreational or traditional use in the Torres Strait. It was believed that many of the sea cucumbers found were sandfish which are a high value species that cannot currently be taken commercially in the Torres Strait.
Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol are responsible for domestic compliance within the TSPZ. Under current Protected Zone Joint Authority (PZJA) arrangements AFMA manages the Torres Strait Fisheries and conducts compliance in relation to illegal foreign fishing and QBFP undertake domestic compliance within the TSPZ.
Mr Savage was convicted and fined $2000 and ordered to pay court costs of $86.80 for breaching Section 44 (1) (b) of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984.
Suspected illegal fishing or black-market fish supply can be reported to 1800 CRIMFISH (1800 274 634).