Lucky_Phill
01-06-2015, 04:00 PM
1st June 2015.
Three crabbers fined more than $20,000 for catching undersized and female crabs kept their stash in a hidden compartment under their boat’s floor.
The men pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of undersized and female crabs in Cleveland Magistrates Court last week.
They were caught off Victoria Point last September when a Queensland Boating and Fisheries patrol intercepted their vessel.
Officials found five mud crabs and a legal bream onboard, but demanded the boats be taken to the Redlands QBFP station for inspection after suspicions its floor had been modified.
Sixty-nine mud crabs were found inside the secret compartment, of which 58 were either illegally undersized or female.
In addition to the unlawful possession charge, one of the men was charged with obstruction and the other two faced charges of making false and misleading statements about being asleep at the time.
They were fined a total of $20,650 and had their boat, motor, trailer and crab pots seized.
Fisheries officer James Hohenhaus said the rules were in place to protect crabs.
The rules around the number, age and type of crabs that can be taken are very clear and pleading ignorance is no defence,” he said.
“This should serve as a big warning to anyone involved in illegal crabbing and modifying vessels to create hidden compartments for their catch.”
The seized crabs were returned, alive, to Moreton Bay.
Crab poaching has long been an issue in the southern Redlands, with Redland Bay in particular singled out as a hotspot for the practice.
The following restrictions apply to crab catches in Queensland:
Mud crabs: Minimum size limit of 15cm across the widest part; only 10 can be possessed.
Blue swimmer/sand crabs: Minimum size limit of 11.5cm across the widest part; no limit on possession.
Spanner/frog crabs: Minimum size limit of 10cm from the centre spine to the mid carapace base.
LP
Three crabbers fined more than $20,000 for catching undersized and female crabs kept their stash in a hidden compartment under their boat’s floor.
The men pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of undersized and female crabs in Cleveland Magistrates Court last week.
They were caught off Victoria Point last September when a Queensland Boating and Fisheries patrol intercepted their vessel.
Officials found five mud crabs and a legal bream onboard, but demanded the boats be taken to the Redlands QBFP station for inspection after suspicions its floor had been modified.
Sixty-nine mud crabs were found inside the secret compartment, of which 58 were either illegally undersized or female.
In addition to the unlawful possession charge, one of the men was charged with obstruction and the other two faced charges of making false and misleading statements about being asleep at the time.
They were fined a total of $20,650 and had their boat, motor, trailer and crab pots seized.
Fisheries officer James Hohenhaus said the rules were in place to protect crabs.
The rules around the number, age and type of crabs that can be taken are very clear and pleading ignorance is no defence,” he said.
“This should serve as a big warning to anyone involved in illegal crabbing and modifying vessels to create hidden compartments for their catch.”
The seized crabs were returned, alive, to Moreton Bay.
Crab poaching has long been an issue in the southern Redlands, with Redland Bay in particular singled out as a hotspot for the practice.
The following restrictions apply to crab catches in Queensland:
Mud crabs: Minimum size limit of 15cm across the widest part; only 10 can be possessed.
Blue swimmer/sand crabs: Minimum size limit of 11.5cm across the widest part; no limit on possession.
Spanner/frog crabs: Minimum size limit of 10cm from the centre spine to the mid carapace base.
LP