Landmark $80K fine for illegal trawling off Minjerribah, Straddie

A bayside court has meted out a record punishment for illegal trawling in a marine park near North Stradbroke Island. Watch the video to see the moment marine police swoop on the vessel.

A record fine and jail sentence has been handed to a commercial fisherman found guilty of illegally trawling in protected marine waters near Minjerribah, North Stradbroke Island.

The offender, a 60-year-old from Mooloolaba, was given a nine-month prison sentence, fully suspended for 18 months.

He was also hit with a $80,000 fine, the largest penalty ever imposed in Queensland for such offences in southern marine parks.

The fisherman pleaded guilty in the Cleveland Magistrates Court on April 3 to unlawful serious environmental harm and wilfully misusing a marine park.

This week, the court also ordered the man pay $750 in legal costs.

Marine authorities swoop on a trawler in waters off North Stradbroke Island where a dolphin is seen swimming at the boat’s stern. Picture: DES

The illegal activities came to light through a joint effort by Fisheries Queensland, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Queensland Police Service.

Their investigation revealed that between June 29 and July 3 in 2022, the fisherman’s vessel illicitly took 10 tonnes of stout whiting from the Moreton Bay Marine Park’s green zone.

The vessel was intercepted by water police and Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers before it could continue trawling.

The court heard GPS data allegedly showed the vessel repeatedly entered the marine national park zone.

A total of 694 boxes of fish were taken by trawl net.

A map showing where the vessel was spotted. Picture: DES

Principal Marine Park Ranger Steve Hoseck said the trawling method posed a threat to the delicate marine ecosystem and caused significant harm to bottom-dwelling flora and fauna.

“Green zones are off limits to fishers for good reason as they provide critical habitat for marine species including fish, sea turtles, dolphins and dugongs,” he said.

Photo taken from a marine vessel showing the trawl lines at the back of the trawler. Picture: DES

“This person has made the decision to not only trawl fish in a green zone, but to catch and keep a significant quantity of fish for commercial gain, completely ignoring Queensland laws as well as their own responsibility to the environment.

“QPWS is grateful to Fisheries Queensland and Queensland Police for their speedy response to this harmful behaviour.

“We hope (the court sentence) sends a strong message to others that we take wilful environmental harm to Queensland marine parks very seriously.”