The Darwin local court has imposed fines totalling $86,000 on Indonesian fishermen apprehended in Australian waters earlier this month, including a $10,000 penalty for a repeat offender.
In one incident, Australian authorities intercepted an Indonesian vessel fishing illegally near Croker Island, Northern Territory, and two further interceptions took place near the Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory.
Boarding crews seized more than 900kg of sea cucumber (with a market value up to $90,000) and a range of fishing equipment. The crews were detained and transported to Darwin for further investigation by AFMA. The three fishing vessels were destroyed at sea.
Eighteen fishers were charged with offences. The skipper of one vessel had prior findings of guilt for similar offending in 2007 and was fined $10,000. The skippers of the remaining two vessels were each fined $8,000. The remaining crew were each fined $4,000 and all of the fishermen are to be deported to Indonesia as soon as possible.
The Australian authorities are also using additional measures to combat illegal fishing at its source, including the delivery of public information campaigns within Indonesian fishing communities, the distribution of educational material, targeted social media campaigns, and proactive engagement with fishers.
