50kg find on fishing boat highlights ‘distressing’ problem in Australian waters

Another group of Indonesian nationals has been caught by authorities illegally fishing in Australian waters. Upon seizing their vessel, 50 kilograms of shark fin was found, in addition to 80 kilograms of bait fish and a substantial quantity of fishing equipment.

It comes as the crackdown on illegal foreign fishing in Australian waters continues with hundreds of boats caught invading the northern coast earlier this year. Shark fin and sea cucumbers are particularly sought after with the former commonly used in East and Southeast Asian high-status soups — and Aussie waters are where they’re found in abundance.

The fishing boat was intercepted by Australian authorities on July 7 inside the Australian Territorial Sea near New Year Island, approximately 294 kilometers northeast of Darwin.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Lawrence Chlebeck from Humane Society International said “it’s distressing to see another instance of illegal shark fining in Australian waters, and it’s worse to consider how much more of it might be occurring unnoticed” by maritime authorities.

“Shark populations on the high seas have declined by 70 per cent sat since 1970, yet illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing remains a massive problem,” he told Yahoo. “The global community must do better to curb these activities, as healthy shark populations are crucial for healthy oceans.”

The crew was detained and transported to Darwin, with the vessel destroyed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) at a land-based facility in accordance with Australian biosecurity requirements, the agency said in a joint release with the Australian Border Force (ABF) on Friday.

They were charged with offenses against the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (Cth) in which they pleaded guilty but were released on $1,000 recognition orders on an undertaking to be of good behavior for a period of three years.

They have since been removed from Australia and returned to Indonesia.

Why is shark finning a problem?

Shark fining results in more than 63 sharks being killed a year. Finning involves cutting off the predator’s valuable end and then dropping it back into the ocean to die. Researchers argue we should only be using ends of animals where the whole animal is processed.

Sharks need to be constantly moving forward to survive and lose the ability to move without their ends. Suffocation, blood loss as well as predation from other species means sharks will suffer a slow and painful death after they’re fined.

“Removing sharks from the marine ecosystem threatens the health of our well-managed fisheries,” Justin Bathurst, AFMA’s General Manager, Fisheries Operations said. “Sharks are an important part of a healthy ecosystem, helping to control the balance of marine species and ensuring ecological stability.”

Australian authorities continue to target illegal fishing

AFMA, in partnership with Maritime Border Command, a multi-agency task force which includes Australian Border Force and Australian Defense Force, continues to target illegal foreign fishing in Australian waters to protect our precious marine resources. However, researchers have previously argued more should be done.

Australian authorities are also using other measures to combat illegal fishing at its sources, 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.

“Australia’s healthy fisheries resources are an attractive target for illegal fishing operators,” Bathurst added.

“AFMA and our partner agencies remain focused on identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting illegal fishers. Those caught fishing illegally in Australian waters risk prosecution and as well as seizure and destruction of their vessel.”

Key facts about shark fin usage:

• Shark fins are commonly used in East and Southeast Asian soups and these dishes are associated with wealth and status.

• The global shark fin trade is centered around Hong Kong, which hosts up to 50 per cent of all imports, with half of this re-exported.

• Australia is responsible for about 1 per cent of products imported into China and Hong Kong.

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