The Department of Fisheries officers have raided homes in Cervantes and Coogee and charged ten men with trading rock lobster on the black market. The raid is a result of a month-long surveillance operation as part of the department’s Operation Cosmos, which aims to crack down on black market trade in WA. The men were booked under many offences including excess possession of rock lobsters, use of excess lobster pots, interference with other rock lobster pots and selling recreationally caught lobster for commercial gain.
As per law these men may face fine up to $40,000 if found guilty. Department of Fisheries compliance manager Phil Shaw said the raid sent out a strong message to would-be black market traders. He told that commercial fishing is carefully managed by the Department of Fisheries to ensure our most precious WA fish species are sustainably harvested.
He told that black marketing of fish not only jeopardises the livelihoods of legitimately licensed fishers, but also threatens the sustainability of the fishery. Shaw said Operation Cosmos, and the previous Operation Dorado which targeted illegal finfish trading, were part of a sustained crackdown which began in 2009.
