Two fishermen face maximum fine of $100k for having 140 undersized and female mud cra

[TheRealAndy]

Two fishermen face maximum fine of $100k for having 140 undersized and female mud crabs at Jacobs Well

• Brooke Baskin
• From: The Courier-Mail
• April 14, 2011 8:08AM

TWO fisherman face prosecution after they were allegedly caught with a mammoth haul of undersized and female mud crabs at Jacobs Well on the Gold Coast.

The men allegedly had 140 crabs smuggled in an Esky when they were stopped by officers from the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol and Queensland police.

Thirty of the crabs were allegedly undersized males while 110 were female crabs.

Under Queensland law it is illegal to catch female mud crabs while male crabs need to be 15cm or larger across the widest part of their shell.

The Fisheries Act can impose a maximum penalty of up to $100,000 for those who unlawfully take, possess, use or sell a regulated fish such as a mud crab.

The pair were caught after they were stopped by Jacobs Well Police who allegedly saw them taking crabs from pots in a nearby channel.




http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1226038882862

[Mangrove Man]

Dead set scumbags that's all i can say about them politely. Hopefully they lose the boat, and all the fishing gear as well as well as being massively fined. I wonder how many of the crabs were still alive and returned to the water?.

[bennykenny]

well that explains alot of the happenings down the well recently, i hope they throw the book at these share farmers.

[robersl]

Geez i bet they only get a slap on the wrist
But it sounds like a sting good on em for getting out and checking

shane

[mylestom]

The tip of the iceberg, how many others out there.

Regards

Trev

[cormorant]

So what about where they were selling them???

All equipment confiscated??

House and sheds all checked?

Proceeds of crime - make em prove how they accumulated every item in their house and lives? Need a statement from them of every assett just like a bankruptcy. No way their faily doesn't know what tehy are up to.

Ban for life from being within 50m of water and 50m of any fishing aparatus!!!!.

Wish they would go really hard on these guys as a fine is nothing to them.

[Axl]

well that explains alot of the happenings down the well recently, i hope they throw the book at these share farmers.

It certianly does bennykenny I hope that they get the full 100k and loose everything that the law can take.

These people need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law to show anyone else who is thinking of doing this or is doing this what will happen if caught.

[Bubsy]

Sucked in.

[XtremeBoony]

i hope these pricks cop the full fine. Then hang them out and let every poor bloke who has had a pot run flog them with a piece of barbed wire

cheers from boony

[Scott Ashe]

Those scum deserve everything that coming to them and they should definately should be made to surrender their boat and all associated gear.

Scott

[deepfried]

That many females makes me think they were destined for an asian restaurant.

[split-shot]

I wondere if they could speak let alone read english to understand the fishing reg's. Probably back at it already, then when the get to court they will get a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again.

[warrigul]

SOMEONE NEEDS TO MONITOR THIS CASE AND POST DETAILS OF PENALTY'S IMPOSED
because in the past these guys must laugh at some of the penalty's they get.
it can't get much worse then what they have caught with.

if the full weight of the law is not handed down we as law obeying fishermen must blow up. the judge be named and complained about thru correct channels
these grubs need to hurt properly.
taking a crap boat and a 1982 toyota corona is not a deterent even a $25,000 fine hell they will make that back in no time.
add up the dollar value of what they just got caught with at seafood shop prices.
and pretend that it only happen once a month. per annum its big $$$$$.

[cormorant]

Be interested to see how many pots they own to lay even more charges that relate to a per pot and per crab offence. How many pots of other did they raid. Like to see them asked the right questions to dig themselves in deeper.


Be good to find out the court dates and have a few placards up as they walk in so it makes the local media gets teh photos otherwise it all goes quiet. Make sure there is a comment in the media releases about the way normal legal folk go about it and that these were commercial rapists / poachers of the river.

A few of you politically aware, media aware and fisheries connected blokes should be having a chat and making sure there is a full investigation and the local court reporter writes or gets handed a article. Seems too often they are just happy to catch someone and not follow it up properly and tick the box so they can write it in their annual report. Seriously their whole lifestyle need to be looked at as they is a hell of a lot and how many times have they done it.

Photo of thie boat and their faces might get a few more reports against them as people recognise the boats about when their pots are raided even if they didn't see pot lifted.

No use fines when they claim poverty and make arrangements to pay it off over 20 years - what a joke.

No mercy on these scum. Sick of seeing the resource plundered and then when they do catch someone it is a slap on the wrist or a soft deal as it is quicker and easier.

As far as I am concerned when it on a commercial size all property with any connection to them should be considered proceeds of crime and unless they can prove where it came from they don't get it back and that includes property where boat is stored etc. Basically change the onus / responsibility of proof around when dealing with this grade of scum.

Did fisheries get their home and mobile phone records and check every number and who it was - any restraunts / fishmongers ? They can still do it but will they? Ask everyone on their list about why they spoke to the blokes

[Brogsy]

Your right Cormorant, taking this many crabs isn't just to supply the rellies with a feed over easter. Chase the restaurants that pay for this crap to occur. They are just as guilty as the scum that take the crabs.

I agree that this case should be watched closely and after a fair share of noise was created by rec fisho's about the snapper fishery maybe this might get media time if such a poor outcome is achieved. By rec fisho's chasing justice on cases such as this it portrays to the wider community that the large majority are doing the right thing and wanting the right thing to be enforced.