16-05-2025
$6,000 fine warning after 'concealed' discovery off Aussie coast
A suspicious group of fishers came very close to copping approximately $6,000 in fines after Queensland authorities alleged they 'tried to hide their catch' in a container floating offshore.
Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers were recently conducting inspections at Sandstone Point in Moreton Bay when they encountered three people returning to their car empty-handed. While the fishers said they failed to catch anything, it didn't take authorities long to discover they may have been concealing the truth.
Just a short time later, officers discovered several legal and illegal crabs in a container floating on the shoreline. 'During inspections in the Sandstone Point area officers engaged with multiple groups of fishers who had regulated catches,' a spokesperson for the state's Department of Primary Industries told Yahoo News.
'Following these inspections, officers patrolled the foreshore and located the jerry can containing mostly regulated crabs. Officers suspected that a group of fishers, consisting of three individuals, had seen them conducting inspections and dumped the jerry can for collection later.'
After opening a makeshift door carved into one side of the jerry can, a stash of various crabs were revealed, including eight female blue swimmer crabs which are considered no-take. Fishers are legally required to release them or face a $645 on-the-spot fine.
Several of the crabs were 'under the lawful size of 11.5cm, [and] one of the mud crabs was under the lawful size of 15cm,' the spokesperson told Yahoo, adding there were 'two mud crab claws separated from the body', which is also illegal.
$322 for one to three undersize fish or crabs
$645 for more than three undersize fish or crabs
$645 for ANY female crab/s
This means that those responsible for the jerry can found floating in the water could face an approximately $6,000 fine. 'More serious offences may be referred to the Magistrates Court,' the spokesperson warned.
However, the suspected culprits were not caught.
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'The Fisheries Officers did not observe the group actively fishing the area, the group did not make any admissions to taking any fisheries resources and denied owning the jerry can, so the officers had exhausted all lines of enquiry and therefore could only return the crabs to the water,' the spokesperson added.
Perhaps they were empty-handed after all.
Earlier this week, fisheries officers made another 'disappointing find' at the mouth of nearby Caboolture River in Deception Bay. An 'unlicensed and illegal' homemade net was found to contain several large dead cobia fish and live mud crabs.
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