SYDNEY, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- An illegal boat at the center of Queensland state's largest black market fishing bust has been reduced to scrap metal on Friday, after it was seized and crushed by Australian authorities.
Although the aluminium vessel was just 4.3 meters in length, investigators believe the boat illegally took around 14 tons of redclaw crayfish from an inland waterway in central Queensland.
"Surveillance at Fairbairn Dam, Emerald and Mackay was conducted following complaints alleging commercial take of wild redclaw from the dam," Queensland Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said.
"Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) officers uncovered extensive black market activity over a 16-month period from July 2016, involving a syndicate of people linked to a licenced redclaw aquaculture facility operating in Mackay."
"A permit to collect up to 200 redclaw for broodstock purposes was fraudulently used to take more than 14,000 kg of redclaw from Fairbairn Dam and later sold."
With the take and sale of wild redclaw prohibited in the state, the surveillance operation resulted in three people being charged with a total of 54 offences including the use of excess, unmarked and sunken freshwater traps, the unlawful sale of redclaw, and the falsification of logbooks.
As well as their boat being confiscated and crushed, the Brisbane Magistrates Court also fined the three defendants a combined total of 115,000 Australian dollars (79,270 U.S. dollars).
"Today's boat crushing sends a clear message that black market fishing activities will not be tolerated in Queensland," Furner said.
"Our message is clear. There is no excuse for black marketing fish and we won't stand for it."
He said QBFP used a range of techniques and technology to uncover illegal activities and have recently deployed drones as part of their compliance enforcement effort.
"Fisheries management is about protecting jobs in both the commercial and recreational fishing sectors and building a legacy of a sustainable fishery for our children and grandchildren," he added.
