Illegal abalone haul uncovered
Monday 11 November, 2002

Primary Industries and Resources SA Fisheries officers are expected to charge three men with various fisheries related offences as a result of a recent operation on Yorke Peninsula.

Fisheries officers together with officers from SA Police stopped a vehicle on the Tippara Road after the three male occupants, from Adelaide, Port Victoria and Point Pearce, had been seen on a beach about four kilometres south of Cape Elizabeth near Port Hughes earlier in the day.

A search of the vehicle uncovered two hundred and fifty greenlip abalone weighing a total of 33 kilograms. Approximately 25% of the abalone catch was undersize. The catch, valued at $5,600, was seized.

General Manager Fisheries Services, Mark Lewis said that having 17 extra uniformed fisheries officers patrolling the SA coastline was delivering long-term benefits.

“Officers are able to cover more territory and are able to respond to reports of illegal activity from the community.

“While the high black-market value of abalone still holds an allure for some, the additional resources means the chances of any illegal activity being detected continues to increase,” Mr Lewis said.

Penalties for this type of offence can include a maximum fine of $8,000 and/or two years jail plus an additional penalty of five times the commercial value of the catch.