Roland Langi pleads guilty to illegally taking 460 abalone – more than 90 times the legal limit for the rare sea snail.
A Tongan man could face years behind bars after being caught hauling in more than 90 times the legal amount of a protected species of marine snail.
Inner South
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A Tongan man caught illegally fishing could face up to five years behind bars for his salty haul.
Roland Langi pleaded guilty in the Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on January 25 to collecting a commercial quantity of a protected species while fishing.
The court heard Langi had taken 460 units of abalone, a protected species in Australian waters.
The legal number of abalone a person can collect on a non-commercial catch is five units, the court was told.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority has strict rules pertaining to fishing abalone, including size criteria, weight and depth at which it can be collected from.
Langi’s lawyer Adrian Dessi said his client understood the severity of his offending.
“He understands the serious nature of the charges,” Dr Dessi said.
“He is also aware of what the potential outcomes are (for sentencing)”.
Langi could be facing up to five years in jail for taking 92 times the legal amount of the marine snail out of the ocean.
He will return to Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on April 4.
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