Original story at Brisbane Times
Two men have been fined a total $20,500 for separate fishing offences.
Every year tens of millions of sharks die a slow death because of finning. Finning is the inhumane practice of hacking off the shark’s fins and throwing its still living body back into the sea. The sharks either starve to death, are eaten alive by other fish, or drown (if they are not in constant movement their gills cannot extract oxygen from the water). Shark fins are being “harvested” in ever greater numbers to feed the growing demand for shark fin soup, an Asian “delicacy”. Photo: stopsharkfinning.net
A Bundaberg man was convicted of selling illegal fish and crabs, Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol district manager Greg Bowness said in a statement.
“QBFP executed a search warrant on the defendant's house finding 37 female mud crabs, 11 undersized male mud crabs, a quantity of frozen crabmeat and regulated finfish, including two grey mackerel, four dusky flathead, one king threadfin, one mulloway, three barred javelin and four silver javelin.
“In a separate matter, a Gympie man was convicted and fined $8000 for catching sharks and removing their tails and fins.
“QBFP officers boarded a reef line vessel in Bundaberg port on October 29 last year finding 49 fins or tails that had been removed from sharks."
He said in sentencing the Gympie man, the magistrate took into account the cruelty involved in shark finning.
“The rules are in place to protect Queensland's fishing industry and to ensure a sustainable fishery for future generations," he said.
"I hope these penalties will serve as a future deterrent."
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