News Release - Big fine for trawler offences [Archive] - Ausfish fishing Australia, Australian Angling Forums

QLD_Fisheries

31-07-2004, 04:11 AM

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/news/NewsReleases/15689.html

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bugman

31-07-2004, 05:31 AM

Trawler owner fined $16,000 for unlawful fishing

A trawler owner operator has been fined $16,000 in the Cairns Magistrates Court for unlawful fishing from his trawler in Princess Charlotte Bay to Cairns.

Forty-eight-year-old Hong Oai Nguyen of Bonnyrig, NSW, and owner of the ‘Elizabeth J’, received the heavy fine for illegally taking 6 undersize blue swimmer crabs, 15 undersize school mackerel and 20 shark fin. He was also fined on 2 counts of non-permitted fish taken while trawling.

Prosecuting Officer Matthew Hall of the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol, Cairns, told Magistrate Robert Spencer on Monday (26 July) the offences took place between 28 July and 30 September last year.

“The illegal catch was detected during random inspections of container offloads at a Cairns coldstore from mother ship vessels servicing the Cape York fishing fleet,” Mr Hall said.

He said the offences were committed under the Fisheries Act 1994 and the Fisheries (East Coast) Trawl Management Plan 1999.

Boating and Fisheries Patrol Cairns District Manager Bob Koch said the penalty imposed on the trawler operator should serve as a warning to the fishing fleet to abide by the Fisheries legislation or face serious penalties.

“Under the Fisheries (East Coast) Trawl Management Plan 1999, trawler operators are allowed to take a variety of important commercial species including prawns, squid, bugs, scallop and other permitted fish prescribed under the management plan,” Mr Koch said.