Hi all,
I have just spoke to a guy from Queensland Fisheries at the Cairns office, and asked him for the laws/regulations about the removal/theft of crabs/crab pots.
In summary he stated that the theft of crabs/crab pots is a criminal charge and is reported to the police, and court action will decide the penalties/fines .
But there is also another channel that normally is pursued and that is listed/copied from the fisheries act below, and in most cases the two charges go hand in hand.
The fisheries act states 500 penalty points, that is $1000.00 per of fence, if for example there were four pots moved/robbed that is a $ 4000.00 dollar fine plus the Police criminal charge and fines.
Queensland
FISHERIES ACT 1994
Interference etc. with aquaculture activity or fishing apparatus
87.(1)
A person must not unlawfully interfere with an aquaculture
activity or fishing apparatus.
Maximum penalty—500 penalty units.
(2)
In this section—
“interfere with”
includes—
(a)
for an aquaculture activity—the removal of fisheries resources,
damage and destroy; and
(b)
for fishing apparatus—the removal of fisheries resources,
damage, destroy, mark, remove and trample.
He stated that this charge can be issued to people who even only move the pot.
cheers duggie