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Officers swoop on caravan park
'Illegal' fish catch could
cost caravanner $100,000
![Four species of whiting](whiting.jpg) |
Picture: DPI Queensland |
From top: trumpeter whiting, northern whiting,
golden-lined whiting, summer whiting |
A CARAVANNER faces a fine of up to $100,000 after being allegedly
nabbed with hundreds of illegally caught fish in Queensland.
Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers armed with a search warrant
reportedly seized 328 whiting when they swooped on the traveller's RV at a
Townsville caravan park.
There is a legal combined limit of 30 for all whiting species except
trumpeter whiting, which is 50.
''This alleged offence shows blatant disregard for the state's fishing
rules, which are designed to protect our fisheries,'' Fisheries Minister
Tim Mulherin said in a statement.
"The regulations ensure our fisheries are sustainable, yet here is one
person who thinks it’s acceptable to take more than their fair share.
"It is not acceptable for anyone to ignore Queensland’s fishing rules and
regulations and this should be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can get
away with it. I won’t tolerate people who deliberately disregard the rules
and the community won’t tolerate it either."
The Minister encouraged anyone suspecting people of breaking the law to
contact the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116, promising that every
complaint would be investigated.
He said Queensland’s bag limits allowed fishers to take a "reasonable"
amount of fish without impacting fish stocks.
"More than 700,000 people fish each year in Queensland and the majority of
them adhere to the rules," Mr Mulherin said.
Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers last year carried out 43,687
inspections resulting in 1094 fines or prosecutions for illegal fishing,
while a further 670 people were cautioned.
"These figures reflect the fact that Queensland has a very high compliance
rate within the fishing sector at nearly 97 percent," Mr Mulherin said.
Townsville District Officer Robert Ibell said the investigation was
ongoing but the number of whiting confiscated was well in excess of the
legal bag limit.
"Summer, golden lined and northern whiting have a combined bag limit of 30
and a minimum size limit of 23cm,” he explained.
"This incident should be a reminder to everyone that a bag limit refers to
the total number of fish an individual can legally take and have in their
possession at any one time – it does not apply on a per day basis.
"The maximum penalty for exceeding the bag limit is $100,000."
Mr Ibell said there were 102 Boating and Fisheries Patrol authorised
officers working throughout the state, carrying out random inspections and
investigating complaints to the Fishwatch hotline.
"We want all fishers to make sure their knowledge of the rules is up to
date," he added.
Queensland's fishing rules can be obtained from
www.deedi.qld.gov.au or by
telephoning 13 25 23.
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Copyright 2005
Dennis Amor All Rights Reserved
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