Arabic version: أستراليا تكثف مكافحتها للصيد غير القانوني
According to ABC News, Australian authorities are increasing enforcement against illegal fishing, an illicit trade that damages legal fishers and marine ecosystems. Globally, organised illegal fishing is estimated to cost legal fisheries up to $23 billion each year. The activity can include fishing in protected reserves, breaching catch quotas, using banned gear and international smuggling, and can be linked to labour exploitation, human rights abuses and trafficking of illicit goods.
In Queensland, a 43-year-old man caught poaching mud crabs in waters between Brisbane and Russell Island and selling them in south-east Queensland was convicted, fined $10,000 and had his boat destroyed. Fisheries officers had also found species including threadfin salmon, molluscs and mulloway at his home following a raid. Queensland Department of Primary Industries director-general Graeme Bolton said high-quality mud crabs can retail for up to $64 a kilogram, making them valuable, easy to transport and readily sold on the black market.
Enforcement figures show increased action in several jurisdictions. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority said 273 people were prosecuted for illegal fishing in Western Australia in 2025, more than three times the 2024 total. In the Northern Territory, 237 foreign fishers were prosecuted in Darwin Local Court between 2024 and 2025, compared with 75 in the previous period. Queensland investigated 1,809 illegal-fishing reports between 2024 and 2025, prosecuting 14 matters in the Magistrates Court.
Authorities are also targeting suspected illicit seafood sales. During a NSW Fisheries operation in Cabramatta, officers examined seafood, checked fish measurements and requested receipts. A shop had 14 incorrectly labelled packages of abalone, worth about $4,000, though the owner provided receipts and the investigation continues. NSW recently introduced legislation allowing fines of up to $44,000 for involvement in the illicit seafood trade, while authorities are investing in technology including night vision equipment to track offenders.
