Two employees and a concession holder associated with The Fish Factory based in Adelaide, have been fined and their catch forfeited after illegally taking catch in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish & Shark Fishery.
AFMA’s National Investigations Taskforce detected the fishing vessel ‘Peter Crombie’ illegally fishing and manipulating data recorded in fishing logbooks in 2011. The master of the fishing vessel ‘Figtree Bay’ also failed to record the capture of sharks in fishing logbooks in 2011.
The three men were found guilty of five charges and were fined a total of $13,000.00 dollars. The Fish Factory was also ordered to forfeit the proceeds of the illegally taken catch, valued at $9,917.50.
AFMA CEO, Dr James Findlay, said that the conviction highlighted the seriousness of the crime.
“Illegal activity like this undermines the management measures AFMA puts in place ensure the sustainable use of Australian fisheries and to protect their future. AFMA takes these matters very seriously and will continue to crack down on fishing operators who do the wrong thing.”
The offenders appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday 31 May and the charges included fishing illegally inside closed areas, providing false information in logbooks in an attempt to conceal the illicit activity and misreporting captures of school shark.
Know where your fish comes from! If you suspect illegal fishing or black-market fish supply to be occurring in your area please contact 1800 CRIMFISH (1800 274 634) or the National Investigations Taskforce Manager – Garry Hall directly on 0401 593 756.