Seven Indonesian nationals have plead guilty to illegally fishing in Australian waters this month.
The Border Force caught up with the fishers on February 11, when they apprehended the Indonesian vessel fishing near Croker Island off the Territory.
339 shark fins were seized as well as fishing equipment and salt used to preserve the fish.
The crew were detained in Darwin and faced the local court last week. Their vessel was destroyed, as is Australian law.
The seven fishers were charged with offences against the Fisheries Management Act – the ship’s leader was let go on a good behaviour bond of five years, valued at $1,000.
The remaining crew members were also released on $1,000 undertakings to be of good behaviour for a period of 5 years.
One of the crew had an outstanding warrant for similar offending dating back to 2010. He was taken into custody and sentenced to an additional 35 days imprisonment relating to an outstanding fine owed on the historical matter.
All fishers will be removed from Australia by the ABF and returned to Indonesia at the earliest opportunity.
There have been 132 Indonesian fishers prosecuted in Darwin Local Court since 1 July 2024.
AFMA, in partnership with the border force, continues to target illegal foreign fishing in Australian waters to protect our precious marine resources.
Australian authorities are also using other measures to combat illegal fishing at its source, including the delivery of public information campaigns within Indonesian fishing communities, the distribution of educational material, targeted social media campaigns, and proactive engagement with fishers.
Border Force Operation LUNAR Commander Tracie Griffin says the illegal activity threatens Australia’s borders.
“[The] ABF will remain vigilant to detect and intercept these vessels through ongoing surveillance, patrolling and response capabilities,” Commander Griffin said.
“I encourage those in the community who may have information about suspicious activity to report it to Border Watch online,” she said.
“This illegal activity will not be tolerated in our waters. We will intercept you, you will lose your catch, your equipment and possibly even your vessel.”
