‘Open water pirate’ Dora Hamidung jailed for illegally fishing in Australian waters nine times

An Indonesian captain has been jailed for repeated ‘maruarding’ of fishing stocks off the Australian coast, with a judge saying he ‘thumbs his nose at the authorities’.

An “open water pirate” who made his career “maruarding” Australia’s fishing stocks has been jailed after the Indonesian boat captain was busted illegally fishing for the ninth time in two decades.

Skipper Dora Hamidung was the master of fishing vessel, Reza, when it was stopped by the Australian Border Force on March 13, three nautical miles off Smith Point on the Cobourg Peninsula, NT.

While ABF officers found fishing equipment, reef shoes, navigation equipment and 500kg of salt for processing, the boat had been intercepted before the crew had caught anything.

The crew, including Hamidung, alo Hudanl, Andi and two underage boys, have spent the past 19 days in custody ahead of their Darwin Local Court hearing on Tuesday.

Judge Steve Ledek said Mr Hamidung’s record showed he was the “worst” of the three illegal fishers before him – having “flagrantly” violated Australia’s fishing territories nine times in the past two decades.

Mr Ledek said the 38-year-old’s last arrest for illegal fishing was from four months ago.

“He has been engaged in a lifetime of risk taking,” Mr Ledek said.

“(He) thumbs his nose at the authorities, and will do it time and time again.

“In my mind he is an open water pirate, willing to take a chance on getting caught to haul in illegal trepang (sea cucumbers).”

Seven Indonesian fishermen, including two boys, were busted illegally fishing from this vessel, Reza, just three nautical miles off Smith Point on the Cobourg Peninsula, NT.

Defence lawyer Patrick McNally said all the men were recruited from a single village, Selayang, where local fishermen believe there is a “50-50 chance of success” for every voyage into Australian waters.

“For every 10 boats that leave, five of them will return; not all of them profitably,” Mr McNally said.

“And the balance of those will eventually find their way back home after a spell in immigration detention.”

Mr McNally said while the fishermen could be paid $5000-$6000 for a full haul of 1000 trepang, after the cost of diesel, rations, supplies, and payments to the other owner of the vessel, the crew would only be left with $1500 in profits split seven ways.

Australian Border Force officers found this fishing equipment on the Indonesian vessel, Reza, when it was intercepted on March 13, just three nautical miles off Smith Point on the Cobourg Peninsula, NT.

The court heard one member of the crew, Alo Hudanl or ‘Hadji’, had saved up for two years to buy a half interest in the $10,000 boat — only to have it destroyed at sea.

Mr McNally said the Muslim men had suffered the additional punishment of spending Ramadan away from their families.

He said it was likely that upon release the crew would be dropped in Bali, handed $50 and told to make their own way home to their village 3200km away.

The court heard that while men from Selayang had fished off the Cobourg Peninsula “for generations”, Mr Ledek said the Indonesian men needed to know “that’s not your place”.

“The court unfortunately sees so many people like you,” he said.

“And everyone’s stories are the same: ‘How do I make a future for my children and my families or myself if I’m not willing to take a chance and go out on that boat?’.

“(But) that land, that country, that sea, belongs to the Australian people, and you have no right to steal from the Australian people.”

Darwin Local Court judge Steve Ledek. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Ledek convicted Hudanl and Andi of using a foreign boat for commercial fishing, putting them both on a 12 month good behaviour bond

Andi was put on a $3000 recognisance order, while the boat’s part-owner was warned he would have to pay $10,000 if he breached his court order.

Hamidung was sentenced to three months in prison for both using a foreign boat for commercial fishing and operating a foreign boat equipped for fishing in the Australian fishing zone.

A further one month’s imprisonment was also fully restored from his most recent sentence.

“Hopefully the sentence I impose will be the last one, because you will never want to go through it again,” Mr Ledek said.

Originally published as ‘Open water pirate’ Dora Hamidung jailed for illegally fishing in Australian waters nine times