Fishing black market review complete

[nsw_fisheries]

http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/gen/...ay10_black.htm

"This document has been posted for information and to encourage discussion among yourselves. For more information from NSW Fisheries on the issue, please visit our web site on www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au"

[cHiCo]

Fishing black market review complete
10 May 2004
A major report looking into black market fishing in NSW has been completed and handed to the State Government, which will now consider its recommendations.

The review - headed by former Federal Police Commissioner Mick Palmer – is the first step in a State-wide crackdown on illegal fishing, designed to protect public health and the local seafood industry which is worth half a billion dollars a year.

Mr Palmer has been commended by the Government for carrying out a thorough review, based on extensive community consultation.

The report has looked at illegal fishing in terms of deterrence, compliance and education.

The Government will now consider the recommendations and the report will be released for community input before the Government finalises its response.

Illegal fishing and black market sales of fish in NSW threatens public health and valuable fish stocks, undermining licensed commercial fishers and the regional economies they support.
Our fisheries are a community-owned resource. We all have a responsibility to protect and safeguard this natural asset for present and future generations.

[Heath]

Will be interesting to see what the report holds.

Joe Blow gets caught selling a few fish to the local & will probly do time or loose his house with a huge fine.

The old pro Terry Trawler can net in restricted areas, go well above his quota & have a shit load of undersized somethings & get away with a slap on the wrist.....

Go figure

[JB]

Your dead right there Heath, i have heard of pros who "save up for thier first fine" so they cover themselves for getting caught, and untill they do they rape the restricted zones.

[Gazza]

Do you Fisheries guys really have no clue??
whoopy-do with your report from the the good gentleman.
and then you want to go through recommendations
and then you want community input

YOU(s) really don't have-a-clue ,after all!!! >

Look try this , will cost you nothing ,promise.

Put some undercover dudes with fish to sell around the restaurants and fishshops...


p.s. report back to me ,how you go.

PLEASE

Regards
Gazza

[ProFleet]

I can tell you now ,,, the fines for and possible consequences of prosecution for most commercial operators is well above that of recreational fines.
Some people , be they reco or pro or retailer , seem to be able to get away with anything... hope they all get caught.

[loozitt]

Maybe if the government made more pro liscences available,then less black market fish would be sold.

[Heath]

Profleet,
I hope they all get caught as well.

However some fines are just rediculous, an example

Lobster Pro

This fella gets fined $9300.
It says 224 lobsters he didn't tag. Lets assume each lobster is 1kg and they sell for around $35/kilo, thats $7840 that he has already made up. So now he's only $1460.00 out of pocket. But!!! They charged him for the 224 lobsters that he didn't tag. The bugger has probly been doing it for years.
Simply they should have taken his licence off him.

[SeaHunt]

Maybe if the government made more pro liscences available,then less black market fish would be sold.

And maybe no fish left to catch either..

I agree they need some undercover stings.. Ping the restaurants, shops and whoever buys all those Yellow Raincoat Prawns.

[loozitt]

Seahunt,

We all seem to blame the pros all the time, for diminsing numbers in fish stock.I usually agree that the trawlers do alot of damage to our reefs.They don't consider the damage it does to the food chain.

No matter what we do, there will always be the few fisho's, that will sell illegal fish.

I can really say that we can never stop the black market. But I'm just wondering if there were more liscences issued, and more people selling fish, then maybe less buyers interested in illegal fish.

[SeaHunt]

Loozit,
I don't care about the odd fisho that sells a fish to his neighbour or swaps it for a six pack, as long as he didn't take more than his bag limit.
Just as I don't care about the pros just doing their job as long as they stick to limits and laws imposed on them.
But that would be an ideal world wouldn't it. Then it would just up to the law makers to do some tinkering with limits etc. if fish stocks were disappearing.
Unfortunately people get greedy, which usually means we all suffer, including the fish.

I think more lisences would mean more fish being caught in the short term anyway, and that would mean cheaper fish , which would mean more people would be buying fish and maybe also, as you say, less people interested in buying illegal fish.
But there are only so many fish out there and the Gov guys are basically trying to make sure it remains a sustainable resource by setting bag limits and quotas etc...