Authorities halt alleged illegal Far South Coast abalone fishing criminal enterprise

Two NSW South Coast fisherman are under investigation after allegedly plundering nearly 800kg of abalone from a protected Victorian marine park and passing it off as a legal catch.

Abalone are a type of marine snail with a single, ear-shaped shell with an estimated street value of $100 per kilo. Picture: Supplied

Two NSW South Coast commercial fishermen have been busted allegedly hauling a staggering 800kg of abalone from a Victorian marine park before selling the premium delicacy.

The Victorian Fisheries Authority said the pair allegedly used their 7.3m commercial fishing boat to dive in Cape Howe Marine National Park – near the NSW-Victoria border – across multiple days in June.

All forms of fishing, recreational or commercial, are banned in marine parks.

Authorities revealed while the men did hold legal commercial abalone quotas in NSW, they were not licenced to fish commercially in Victoria.

Their alleged haul totalled 795kg with an estimated street value of nearly $80,000.

The alleged haul was almost 800kg of abalone. Picture: File

While charges have not been laid, Victorian Fisheries Authority Director Ian Parks said legal action could not be ruled out.

“These are serious offences and could lead to many thousands of dollars in fines and even significant prison sentences,” he said.

“Marine park boundaries are clearly marked protected areas like Cape Howe play an important role in maintaining healthy fisheries.”

Following the alleged detection, NSW Fisheries officers raided properties near Batemans Bay and Wollongong, seizing dive gear and placing retention notices on the boat, trailer and a late-model Ford ute.

NSW authorities will further allege the fishermen left their mandatory catch data monitoring device at Eden boat ramp, and falsely claimed the abalone were caught in NSW waters four to 16km away.

NSW DPIRD Acting Deputy Secretary Bryan McDonald said the joint investigation sent a clear message.

“Falsely declaring abalone as lawful NSW catch that have been illegally taken from outside NSW significantly undermines the NSW commercial abalone fishery,” he said.

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