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Repeat offender jailed for stealing fish on states South Coast.
Fisheries Officers from the Batemans Bay District and the State-wide Operations and Investigations Group, Regional Mobile Squad, apprehended a repeat fisheries offender on May 9, 2022, in Ulladulla.
The offender faced the courts this week and was sentenced to 18 months in jail with a non-parole period of 11 months and fined $35,000, after he pleaded guilty to a range of fishing offences, including:
- Trafficking an indictable species of fish,
- Two counts of possessing more fish than the limit in circumstances of aggravation and possessing prohibited sized fish.
The man was caught by Fisheries Officers with 94 Abalone, when 2 is the possession limit per person and a commercial quantity of Eastern Rock Lobster (6 in total), when the bag limit per person is 2, on the State’s south coast.
During the original inspection, Fisheries Officers seized the Abalone and Rock Lobsters along with the alleged offender’s vehicle, Jetski, trailer and dive gear. You may recall the post from 11 May 2022.
Our Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Solitary Ranger has spent a busy summer on the South Coast focusing on Marine Park and commercial fishing compliance with a number of sanctuary zone offences detected in the Batemans Marine Park. The OPV is continuing patrols further south to the border over February with colleagues from the Victorian Fisheries Authority offered to come on a run and check out the vessel and its capabilities.
Anyone observing suspected illegal activity should call the DPI Fishers Watch service on 1800 043 536 or report it online at: https://fal.cn/3fMUz.
Could you provide more information about the activities and responsibilities of the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Solitary Ranger during its busy summer on the South Coast? What specific tasks or objectives does the OPV aim to accomplish, especially in terms of marine park and commercial fishing compliance, and what offenses were detected in the Batemans Marine Park? Additionally, what are the plans for the OPV’s patrols further south, and how will it collaborate with colleagues from the Victorian Fisheries Authority to achieve its objectives?