Crabber fined $35,000

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Matt Flynn
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Crabber fined $35,000

Post by Matt Flynn »

Crabber fined $35,000 – loses boat and motor

A recreational crabber has been fined a total of $35,380 and had his vessel, outboard motor and trailer forfeited, following an extensive surveillance operation by the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP).

Gold Coast QBFP Field Officer David Kahler said during a month long surveillance operation conducted earlier this year, a recreational crabber was intercepted and found in possession of a large amount of crabs and no crab pots.

“A search warrant of his residence was executed and the crabber was found in possession of 111 regulated crabs - 64 of these female,” Mr Kahler said.

“The defendant was fined $25,000 for possessing regulated crabs and interfering with commercial crabbing apparatus at the Gold Coast.

“The commercial crabber whose pots had been interfered with over the period had suffered a substantial loss of income and therefore the court ordered restitution of $10,300.

“Interference with commercial crab pots is a significant problem statewide and the heavy penalties handed down by the Southport Magistrates Court on Friday reflect this.

“It sends a strong message to anyone on the water thinking of interfering with other people’s crab pots, or taking or possessing regulated crabs.

“QBFP will continue to monitor the waters during the Christmas and holiday period, and will target crab pot interference. If people see any suspected illegal fishing activities, we encourage them to report it as soon as possible to the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116.”

In Queensland, female mud crabs are no take species while male mud crabs have a size limit of 15 cm across the carapace, with a possession limit of 10 and a maximum of 4 crab pots per person for recreational fishers. It is also illegal to interfere with another persons’ crab apparatus.

For more information on Queensland crabbing rules, visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au, call 13 25 23 or download the free ‘Qld Fishing’ app from Apple and Google app stores.


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Re: Crabber fined $35,000

Post by Kadango »

Lucky he didnt end up in a pot.......
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
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Re: Crabber fined $35,000

Post by theodosius »

Yep
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Re: Crabber fined $35,000

Post by jabsy »

Ha ha
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Re: Crabber fined $35,000

Post by Matt Flynn »

Another one ...

Qld Govt Media Release - Bundaberg crab bust: Fisher fined $13,300

A Bundaberg fisher has been fined $13,300 for a number of crabbing offences including too many pots.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) district manager Greg Bowness said the fine handed down by the Bundaberg Magistrates Court last week was for possessing female and undersized mud crabs and using excess crab pots.

“QBFP approached the crabber at a boat ramp in the Gregory River near Woodgate after seeing a quantity of crab pots stacked near his vessel,” said Mr Bowness.

“The crabber had a total of 9 pots in his possession and on closer inspection, they were found to contain 40 female mud crabs and 7 undersized mud crabs.”

“Officers seized the excess crab pots and the returned the crabs to the water alive.”

Mr Bowness said regulated product must be immediately sorted and released at the point of capture and should not be moved or taken back to the ramp for sorting.

“In determining the fine, the Magistrate issued a penalty of $150 per undersize crab, $250 per female crab and $250 for each excess pot,” he said.

“The fine demonstrates the seriousness of the offences, which pose a threat to the local mud crab breeding population.”

Mr Bowness said fishing rules for gear and possession limits were in place for both commercial and recreational fishers to protect our fisheries resources.

“It’s important that everyone abides by the rules to assist long-term sustainability and resource sharing.”
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Re: Crabber fined $35,000

Post by ronje »

Good to see.

The FIs are continually diverted away from their core responsibilities by other govt depts who don't have boats and want FIs to do their work. eg Environment Dept to check toilets in boats,, Marine Safety Dept to check safety gear etc etc

The recent review of the Qld Fisheries Act and operations is tipped to put the onus back on these other depts to get their own boats and let the FIs get on with their job.
Regards
Ronje
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