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Fisheries phone-in to stop fish thieves

Thursday, 11 December 2008

A special phone-in, manned by local Fisheries Officers, will be held in the Limestone Coast region next week to allow members of the local community to ring and report suspected fish thieves.

Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister, Rory McEwen says the phone-in, named Operation Hawker, will give locals the opportunity to pass on information they have about any suspected illegal catch or sale activity, particularly the region’s two most valuable species – southern rock lobster and abalone. 

“In South Australia, it’s illegal for recreational fishers to buy, sell or trade any of their catch, and it’s also an offence to buy fish that has been obtained illegally, or to sell fish without the necessary license,” Mr McEwen said.

“Anyone with information is urged to call the local Fisheries Office on 8735 1316 between the hours of 4pm and 8pm from next Monday, December 15 through until Friday, December 19. 

“Callers can remain anonymous and all information gathered during the operation will be treated as confidential,” Mr McEwen said.

“Penalties are severe under the Fisheries Management Act 2007, and a person can be fined up to $100,000 or be imprisoned for up to 4 years, if found guilty of trafficking abalone or rock lobster.

“Despite these penalties, there are still some unscrupulous and unlicensed fishers out there looking to profit from the illegal exploitation of what is, in fact, a community owned resource. 

“For instance, a number people have been reported for allegedly trafficking or selling rock lobster illegally within the Mt Gambier area in the past 12 months.
 
“The unlicensed catch and sale of these species significantly impacts on the whole Limestone Coast community. More specifically, this activity can affect the commercial Southern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery, valued at nearly $65.7m and the $5.14 million commercial Southern Zone Abalone Fishery,” Mr McEwen said