Warning: big fines for crab pot theft

Boaties and anglers are being warned not to touch other peoples’ crab pots, after a Cairns fisher was fined $12,000 for multiple offences, including interfering with pots that weren’t his.

Between May and July 2024, the Department of Primary Industries’ Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) Officers collected evidence the man had interfered with crab pots that didn’t belong to him.

They also discovered he was in possession of the rostrum of a sawfish – a regulated and protected species in Queensland – and commercial gill nets without the required authority.

The man was later charged in court with 1 count of possessing a regulated fish, 6 counts of unlawful interference with fishing apparatus and 3 counts of failing to comply with a regulated fishing apparatus declaration.

QBFP Manager Gregory Bowness says this prosecution should serve as a reminder to all Queenslanders that interference with crab pots was a serious matter.

“This man’s poor decision to touch and interfere with other people’s crab pots has cost him $12,000,” he says

“Interfering with crab pots that don’t belong to you is a serious offence under the Fisheries Act 1994. This includes pulling a pot out of the water – even if you do not remove any crabs.

“These are serious offences, and I hope this prosecution outcome will serve as the $12,000 reminder to all Queenslanders to make the lawful choices in and around our waterways.

“These laws exist so all Queenslanders can enjoy boating and fishing in our great state, and we’d like to thank the vast majority of fishers who do the right thing.”