Water Police members apprehended two males, aged 29 and 31, in possession of black jewfish swim bladders during marine and fisheries enforcement patrols of the Charles Point area on Wednesday 20 November 2019.
The men had caught the black jewfish and processed them at sea. Under current , swim bladders must not be removed from fish on the water unless they are disposed of immediately.
Senior Constable Sean Stanley said, “Black jewfish are an at risk species and due to the high value of swim bladders, special rules were put in place to protect our fish stocks from overfishing. These rules require fishers intending to retain swim bladders for personal consumption to keep the swim bladder inside the fish until they get home.”
“Water Police will continue to adopt a zero tolerance in relation to these types of fisheries offences.”
Both men will be issued a notice to appear for possess swim bladder detached from fish whilst at sea.
For access to fishing rules and information, download the app. To keep up to date with the latest information on fishing in the NT, go to page.
If you suspect illegal fishing activity may be occurring then you can assist keeping our fish stocks healthy by reporting the activity via the app or ringing the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 891 136.
