A recreational fisher has been fined $8,500 and ordered to pay costs in the Caboolture Magistrates Court for a range of repeated offences involving undersized and female mud crabs and not properly marking crab pots.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the vast majority of fishers did the right thing, but there were too many of these cases before the courts.
“This individual was found at Cabbage Tree Point in possession of five female mud crabs and an undersized male crab,” Mr Furner said.
“Despite warnings from Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers, he was found a month later at the Burpengary Creek boat ramp with eight female mud crabs, five undersized mud crab and one female blue swimmer crab.
“He was also charged with failing to mark six crab pots and found to have two excess pots.”
Mr Furner said the fisher had previously been issued with infringement notices for these type of offences
“This sort of disregard for our rules has a serious impact on an important community resource,” he said.
“All fishers need to understand the regulations and requirements around size limits and the proper marking of crab pots. Otherwise, you will be caught and you will go to court.
“QBFP uses a range of techniques and technology to uncover illegal activities, including surveillance cameras. We also recently deployed drones as part of our compliance enforcement effort, making it even harder for people to hide illegal activities.”
Mr Furner said enforcing fishing rules would leave a legacy of a sustainable fishery for our children and grandchildren.
“It is vitally important that anyone thinking about casting a line in Queensland knows and follows our state’s fishing regulations,” Mr Furner said.
“Our state’s fisheries resources belong to all Queenslanders and it is our job to protect fish for the future.
“Fish stocks are a resource that belong to all Queenslanders and protecting them protects thousands of jobs in both the commercial and recreational sectors.”
