Australian Border Force has seized a record illegal haul of sea cucumber and detained eleven fishermen after a successful interception of a suspected illegal fishing operation in waters off the Northern Territory.
Officers from ABFC Cape Leveque boarded the vessel near Croker Island and seized 3200kg of sea cucumber, 150kg of salt and various items of fishing equipment. This is the largest seizure of sea cucumber by the ABF from a single fishing vessel.
ABF officers also seized crude dredging equipment which had been used by the crew to drag over the seabed and reefs to collect sea cucumber.
Following consultation with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), the men were detained under the Fisheries Management Act 1991 and are being escorted to Darwin as AFMA conducts further investigations. Under Australian law, the fishing vessel will be destroyed.
Intercepted as part of Australian Border Force (ABF)-led Operation LUNAR, this interception comes just days after three suspected illegal fishing vessels were caught in waters off Maningrida in the Northern Territory.
‘We have responded to the increased sightings of illegal fishing vessels off the NT coast with a bolstered presence at sea and in the air, and our message is clear: illegal fishers will be caught and they will lose their catch,’ said Operation LUNAR Acting Commander Tracie Griffin, commenting that this newly-formed operation is having an immediate impact on illegal fishing in the region.
Acting Commander Griffin added Australia implements a multi-faceted response to illegal fishing, including enforcement actions at sea, targeted operations, and on-going collaborative operations with Indonesian authorities.
