Caught fishing 65 nautical miles inside Australia’s EEZ, five Indonesian fishermen have appeared in court in Darwin, while their boat and its gear have been disposed of – which means burned.
The fishermen have been held since they were intercepted last month, appearing in court last week to give guilty pleas to charges.
When their boat was apprehended, the Australian authorities seized equipment including reef walking shoes, a quantity of fishing line, hooks, nets and 40kg of salt used for preserving catch.
Boat and gear went up in smoke, while the group were detained and taken to Darwin to be charged with offences against the Fisheries Management Act 1991. At Darwin Local Court the fishermen received a good behaviour recognisance orders for periods ranging between two to five years, while one of the group was given a three-month term of imprisonment following execution of an outstanding warrant arising from a previous offendce.
‘The seizure of fishing gear and disposal of vessels serves as a reminder to those seeking to exploit Australia’s marine resources that Australian authorities have zero tolerance for such illegal activity,’ said Rear Admiral Brett Sonter of Maritime Border Command.
The Australian authorities are also using other measures to combat illegal fishing at its source, including the delivery of public information campaigns in Indonesian fishing communities, distribution of educational material, targeted social media campaigns, and proactive engagement with fishers.
