As part of AFMA’s ongoing strategy to tackle quota evasion, we are targeting operators who are substituting or concealing catch of quota species.
Substitution and/or concealment of quota species is considered fraud against the Commonwealth. Fraud is a serious offence, with penalties including monetary fines, license suspension or cancellation or even, in some cases, imprisonment.
Substituting or concealing catch is just like going to the supermarket, loading up the trolley with Wagyu beef and then switching over the labels and price tags with chuck steak before going through the checkout. Some fishers do this by labelling School shark as Gummy shark, or Southern Bluefin Tuna as Bigeye tuna. They hide, stack or fillet fish species, such as placing layers of a non-quota species in fish bins on top of a quota species that must be declared.
This isn’t fair for operators who do the right thing. We use a number of different methods to tackle this issue including port visits to monitor and inspect fish catches being unloaded, and using Vessel Monitoring Systems on all fishing boats to work out if illegal fishing activity is taking place. There are also a number of things that we do that help us identify where problem areas are. The bottom line is that if you’re doing the wrong thing you can expect that we will be looking for you.
AFMA General Manager of Fisheries Operations, Peter Venslovas says, “Deliberately ignoring regulations by concealing or substituting quota species isn’t a victimless offence.”
“This illegal activity not only undermines the sustainability of fish stocks and the livelihood of those operators doing the right thing, it also has a negative impact on the value of fishing rights”.
Remember: Illegal or suspicious activity can be reported to CRIMFISH on 1800 274 63, or online at www.afma.gov.au.
For more information, please contact Tod Spencer, Senior Manager, National Compliance Strategy on 02 6225 5312 or tod.spencer@afma.gov.au