Crews of two Indonesian fishing vessels have appeared in an Australian court, with heavy penalties handed to several repeat offenders.
Both vessels were intercepted and destroyed at sea. The first of these was picked up off Ashmore Island, with the skipper fined $6000. One crew member, identified as a repeat offender, was fined $2000. The remaining four crew were each fined $1500.
The second interception took place near Adele Island, during which the boarding party seized 66 shark fins, 120kg of salt and various fishing equipment. Of the five crew, one crew member was taken into custody to serve a period of imprisonment following execution of an outstanding warrant for previous similar offending. He was fined an additional $10,000 on the current matter.
The skipper of the vessel was fined a total of $9000. A third crew member was identified as a repeat offender and fined $3000. The remaining two crew were each fined $1500. Fines are payable within 28 days, with potential terms of imprisonment in the event of default.
All of the offenders are subsequently deported and returned to Indonesia.
