North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Queensland Government Media Release
October 19, 2016

Fishers fined $7,000 for 798 redclaw tails

Two recreational fishers from Townsville who were found with eight times the legal possession limit of redclaw have each been fined $3,500.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol district officer Robert Ibell said officers found 798 redclaw tails in a freezer at a Kidston Dam campsite in June 2015.

“The possession limit for redclaw is 40 per person but in this case two of four fishers at the camp had 319 of the freshwater crayfish over the possession limit,” Mr Ibell said.

“They were also fishing with five traps more than is legally allowed and their fishing gear was not correctly tagged with the owner’s name and address.

The fishers faced 11 charges in the Townsville Magistrates Court including unlawfully possessing regulated fish and failing to comply with regulated fishing apparatus declarations.

They were both found guilty, fined $3,500 each, had no conviction recorded and all 18 fishing traps were forfeited to the court.

Mr Ibell said possession limits and restrictions to freshwater fishing gear were in place to protect Queensland’s valuable fish stocks from overfishing.

“A fisher must not use more than four canister, collapsible, funnel, round traps or four dillies, or a combination of these traps at one time.

“There is no size limit for redclaw, however, the possession limit is 40 from their natural range which is the Gulf of Carpentaria drainage and from Jacky Jacky River basin south to the Normanby River basin on the north east coast of Queensland.

“Female redclaw carrying eggs and young must be returned to the water when taken from these waters.”

Fishers have a responsibility to ensure they understand and are up-to-date with Queensland’s fishing rules.

Glad they got caught, if that was in the NT I'd want their freezer and car to be crushed too

Its not as if these guys were nomads confused by the different rules throughout Qld about redclaw.

These guys were locals from Townsville and thus familar with and part of the natural area of distribution of redclaw.

Any further south where redclaw are not native to the area there are no limits on apparatus or catch numbers.

Sucker on em,fines arnt big enough