Tasmanian eel fisherman Brad Finlayson fights animal cruelty charges in court
A high profile Tasmanian eel fisherman is fighting animal cruelty charges over a 2022 incident where he allegedly left bags of live eels submerged in a lake for almost two weeks. Latest from court:
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A Hobart court has seen bodycam footage of the moment a high-profile eel fisherman was first interviewed by biosecurity officers over an alleged animal cruelty incident.
Bradley Robert Finlayson, and his company Eels Australis, have both been charged with one count of using a method of animal management reasonably likely to result in unjustifiable pain or suffering, and one count of cruelty to animals, following a mass mortality event at Four Springs Lake outside Launceston in November 2022.
The court heard that the stockpile was left for 13 days, when a pair of trout anglers were alerted to the odour of rotting fish.
In the Magistrates Court in Hobart in July 2024, prosecutors alleged that after Mr Finlayson had legally caught several tonnes of live eels during a fishing operation at the lake between October 10 and October 21 2022, he stashed a proportion of his catch in shallow waters near the boat ramp.
Mr Finlayson and the company pleaded not guilty to the charges in February, 2024.
In Hobart Magistrates Court on Tuesday prosecutors tendered as evidence footage showing the interview between a Senior Biosecurity Officer and an accompanying officer interviewing Mr Finlayson at a property in Bagdad.
Defence counsel objected to the footage being admitted as evidence and said Mr Finlayson was not explicitly told the recording could be used against him.
Magistrate Reg Marron will make a determination on the admissibility of the video footage in June before the matter returns to court for a three day hearing in September.
The senior biosecurity officer told the court she attended Four Springs Lake on November 21 to take water depth measurements where the eels had been left as depicted by photo and video sent to biosecurity Tasmania from Inland Fisheries.
Through email correspondence she requested catch records for Four Springs Lake and organised an interview with Mr Finlayson over the matter. The interview took place on December 7, 2022.
During cross examination defence argued the initial request for interview over the matter was “confusing” as it was addressed to Tasmanian Eel Exporters rather than Eels Australis.
The senior biosecurity officer disagreed and said the matter being investigated was the same and hadn’t changed despite the wrong company name being present on the letterhead.
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