Abalone poachers bent over and reamed
- Boonanza
- Rank: Premium Member
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 9:31 pm
- Location: Gone Fishing
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Abalone poachers bent over and reamed
Four men from St Albans and West Footscray have been arrested after being busted with 173 abalone, more than 11 times the daily bag limit!
Abalone are a valuable commercial fishery in Victoria and prized on the dinner table by recreational divers, most of whom do the right thing and abide by catch limits.
On Christmas Eve, Fisheries Officers observed a boat 500 metres from Seaholm with 4 men aboard, 3 of whom were diving.
The divers allegedly returned to the boat with large bags, then left for Williamstown, where 3 divers again entered the water.
After several hours of diving, the vessel left Williamstown and motored up the Yarra River at speed to Spotswood Jetty, where the non-diver allegedly dropped 2 large catch-bags into the river, got off the boat and remained with the haul.
The boat then departed for Newport boat ramp, where it was inspected, and its 3 occupants arrested.
Fisheries Officers also arrested the fourth man on the jetty and recovered the two catch-bags with the 173 abalone, 122 of which were undersize.
The 4 alleged offenders will be charged with multiple offences including possessing a commercial quantity of abalone and hindering authorised officers. They face heavy penalties of up to $10,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment. The accused men’s boat, dive equipment and all abalone were seized.
If you see or suspect illegal fishing, call our 24-hour reporting line 13FISH (133474) anytime. Even if we can’t respond immediately to your call, the information provided helps us plan future patrols. Make the call and make a difference!
Abalone are a valuable commercial fishery in Victoria and prized on the dinner table by recreational divers, most of whom do the right thing and abide by catch limits.
On Christmas Eve, Fisheries Officers observed a boat 500 metres from Seaholm with 4 men aboard, 3 of whom were diving.
The divers allegedly returned to the boat with large bags, then left for Williamstown, where 3 divers again entered the water.
After several hours of diving, the vessel left Williamstown and motored up the Yarra River at speed to Spotswood Jetty, where the non-diver allegedly dropped 2 large catch-bags into the river, got off the boat and remained with the haul.
The boat then departed for Newport boat ramp, where it was inspected, and its 3 occupants arrested.
Fisheries Officers also arrested the fourth man on the jetty and recovered the two catch-bags with the 173 abalone, 122 of which were undersize.
The 4 alleged offenders will be charged with multiple offences including possessing a commercial quantity of abalone and hindering authorised officers. They face heavy penalties of up to $10,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment. The accused men’s boat, dive equipment and all abalone were seized.
If you see or suspect illegal fishing, call our 24-hour reporting line 13FISH (133474) anytime. Even if we can’t respond immediately to your call, the information provided helps us plan future patrols. Make the call and make a difference!
A smart person knows what to say. A wise person knows whether to say it.
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- Rank: Premium Member
- Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 3:50 pm
- Location: SE Melbourne
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Re: Abalone poachers bent over and reamed
good work fisheries. lets hope the judicial system backs up the hard work and applies the penalty these grubs deserve
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- Bluefin
- Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2014 4:21 pm
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