A court in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has handed down a series of fines to 14 fishermen found guilty of illegally fishing in Australian waters within the Torres Strait Protected Zone.
The fishermen were apprehended in May 2018 by officers from Maritime Border Command (MBC), a multi-agency taskforce within the Australian Border Force (ABF), working closely with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).
The Daru National and District Court convicted one skipper on two counts of unlicensed commercial fishing for crab and finfish near Saibai Island, and his crew were each convicted on one charge. A second skipper was convicted on two counts of unlicensed commercial fishing for crab and finfish near Saibai Island and his crew were each convicted on one charge.
The vessels were sighted by an MBC surveillance aircraft on Wednesday 23rd May and were intercepted by the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Wollongong, near Sabai Island.
Under the terms of the Torres Strait Treaty, PNG nationals suspected of fishing illegally in Australian waters of the Torres Strait are repatriated to PNG to face a local court.
In sentencing the fishermen, who were all from Mabaduan village in PNG, the magistrate acknowledged their boats and gear had already been confiscated by AFMA.
The Magistrate then handed down fines totalling PGK$3600, which must be paid within 14 days, or they will face jail time.
‘It is a timely reminder that we treat illegal fishing seriously in the Torres Strait and there will be no leeway given to those who break the law,’ said AFMA’s General Manager of Fisheries Operations, Peter Venslovas, commenting that AFMA works closely with its PNG counterparts, the National Fisheries Authority, and acknowledges the work they have done in progressing these matters through the PNG court.
