This fishing boat was intercepted off Cobourg Peninsula on January 4. Photo: ABF
The Australian Border Force (ABF) have seized six tonnes of sea cucumber and intercepted 12 fishing poaching boats in Northern Territory waters in just a month.
ABF acting Commander Tracie Griffin says the results show their Operation Lunar is having an immediate impact but they will continue to enforce the law and build NT capability.
“ABF is committed to protecting our vulnerable marine resources and delicate ecosystems through the targeting of irregular foreign fishing in Australian waters,” acting Commander Griffin said.
“However, with well in excess of 10,000km of NT coastline to protect – vast amounts of which is situated in very remote areas – we are not naive enough to suggest that we can be everywhere at any one time, which is why members of the public are important as extra eyes and ears.
“Everyone can do their part by simply keeping a watchful eye and reporting anything out of the ordinary.”
Officers boarded a vessel off the Cobourg Peninsula on Saturday, January 4, spoke to the seven crew members and seized an estimated two tonnes of sea cucumber and fishing equipment.
The catch was returned to the sea and the crew and vessel directed out of Australian waters.
The ABF says that since Operation Lunar started on December 8, they have intercepted 12 illegal fishing vessels in NT waters, seized over six tonnes of sea cucumber, 500kg of other catch and over two tonnes of salt.
Two of the fishing boats were legally destroyed.
JAIL TIME
Meanwhile, two Indonesian nationals who pleaded guilty to illegally fishing in Australian waters have been jailed.
The two were among 11 Indonesian fishermen who appeared in Darwin Local Court on January 7.
The fishermen were the crew onboard a vessel that was arrested while fishing illegally near Croker Island in the Northern Territory on December 18, 2024.
The master of the vessel was given six weeks in jail and had the rest of his concurrent three-month sentence suspended which was based on previous offences from 2017.
A crew member was jailed for a month after it was revealed he was on a good behaviour bond from 2017.
The other crew were released on two-year good behaviour bonds and deported to Indonesia.
