$10,000 fine in Caboolture Court

[Mrs Ronnie H]

Just reading the local paper and came across this story.

Fisheries caught a Drack man at Spinnaker sound marina (Bribie Island) with 48 undersize mudcrabs hidden in cloth bags under the floor in his boat. He was fined $10,000 and ordered to pay court costs as well.

It really gets on my goat when this sort of thing happens. Don't people realize that they are st*****ffing it up for everyone else.

Don't know if I agree with the fine. Maybe it is time to start confiscating Boats and Vehicles.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get the message across that if you do the wrong thing you will be PUNISHED.????

Just my thoughts.

Ronnie

[roydsy]

Nah money hurts and the fine is adequate for this sort of behaviour. Who knows how many undersized crabs this low life as taken over the years.

If they don't have money to pay the fine, then start the repo, starting with his boat.

[Donnie]

Totally agree Ronnie but it should be $10,000, car and boat.
This boofhead new what he was doing.

[Mozza]

In S.Africa where most rec fishing was by licence anyone caught without licence for particular species, or below size, or too many automatically lost any gear with the law-breaker plus vehicle plus fine.

You never do it and once only if you're really REALLY stupid (or very rich).

The biggest issue facing fisheries management IMO is law enforcement - this has been discussed inside-out in other threads but unless the QG throws buckets of money at enforcement so more people get caught, these issues just won't go away.

Good to see that someone got nabbed.

Mozza

[disorderly]

It sure is a hefty fine.

Was he a pro or rec crabber?

Its good to see fisheries have the b@lls to impose such a large fine.

Well done Fisheries!

cheers scott

[-spiro-]

they should post his pic next to the story. i will have a read of this in my local rag. what paper was it?

[Synful]

I'm possibly wrong guys and maybe the law has changed, but I always thought it was a fine and also the loss of the equipment that procured the undersize catch as well (pots and boat) ?

I agree with others here though, if you're not confiscating the boat etc, then money talks louder than anything else....

Good to see that Fisheries are getting a few of these mongrels though.

[Mrs Ronnie H]

Hi All
Thanks for the replies guys. I think we all agree that whatever punishment you get it is well deserved.

The paper was the Caboolture News published yesterday. Story is on page 14.

The guy in question was from Durack and only a rec fisher as far as i know.

------ Fisheries had to take the floor of his boat apart and unscrew it all it said. Good on them for suspecting this weasle in the first place.

So I will pose another question---- Do you report someone if you suspect they are doing the wrong thing or you know they have undersize fish/crabs?????

Ronnie

[PADDLES]

It would depend on the circumstances for me to report it. If I saw someone out camping sitting under the tarp making themselves a crab sandwich with an undersize crab or jenny well I wouldn't really care. But this guy is obviously doing something really dodgy with 48 undersize ones, I wonder how many legal ones he had to go with them????? I'd be thinking he's fishing commercially without a license. That amount of crabs would surely indicate this.

[craig51063]

i agree totally , confiscate his boat , sell it then put the money back into the fishery.

[Redspeckle]

Also add to this story From Bayside Bulletin 27/03/2007 The other two convections which were held in Cleveland magistrates court involved a person being fine $4000 for casing damage to marine plants and there other person posseing undersize (les than 15cm across the shell female and excess mudcrabs
he was fine $3250 and ordered to forfeit his boat
advice from the DPI Fisheries Officer Cherelle Broughton "fishing limits are in place to ensure resources are kept plentlyful for the future I would advise people heading out to brush up on the regulations first so they can enjoy the pleasures of fishing while being reasonable and protecting our valuable fish stocks
Fishwatch 24hr hotline 1800017116, or www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fish-web click on alerts- fishing rules and regulations or contact 132523

In my view you purposely breaking the law while out fishing you deserves in what you get from the courts system
Mitch

[TIMMY 666]

What a bloody a***hole! I think that a $10K for an offence like that is pretty reasonable , but I also think he should have his gear confiscated and be forced to do community serivice of some sort. Maybe cleaning up beaches, estuaries, etc?

Tim.

[cabfisher]

Here Here good on the fisheries and get them all Mongrels stealing undersize fish and crabs should have taken everything car boat ect.

[kingtin]

Fisheries have the "option" of applying for confiscation of gear. I suppose this lets them off the hook in cases where it may simply be a recco who isn't fully conversant with the regs as opposed to the fisho who deliberately flaunts the regs. To have confiscation mandatory would put many reccos offside as they may see fisheries as a threat as opposed to an asset.

We really don't want to live in fear of having our hard earned gear confiscated for simple misdemeanours. That said, I don't see why they couldn't see that in this case it was deliberate law-breaking and confiscate the gear. I'm guessing that he may have been a part timer or pro and the courts/fisheries were in fear of being accused of denying someone a livelihood. That's his hard bloody luck as far as I'm concerned those that do lose their livelihood shouldn't have access to dole either. Why should our taxes give the bastards a leg up?

This kind of thing pisses me off and needs stamping out with a size 16 boot.

kev