A concession holder and skipper in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF) have paid a heavy price for breaching fishing permit conditions by retaining shark fins and failing to complete fishing logbooks.
The concession holder and his skipper pleaded guilty to failing to complete a logbook for the ETBF vessel as they are required to, and also to retaining 32.3kg shark fins found onboard.
Failing to keep complete accurate logbook records and landing shark fins without the carcass are offences under the Fisheries Management Act 1991 which the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) is committed to enforcing.
They were found guilty on the two charges. The skipper received a $5000 fine for the logbook offence, with a $100 penalty for the concession holder, and together they received a total of $18,000 in fines for the shark fin offence. Each was also ordered to pay $73.00 court costs. The shark fins, valued at $4,480, were forfeited to the Commonwealth.
AFMA’s Senior Manager Domestic Compliance, John Andersen, reminds all concession holders and their skippers to ensure they are fully aware of, and comply with, all fishing conditions.
