Crackdown on illegal seafood
Fisheries officers in Western Australia are now blitzing eateries in Western Australia in a crackdown on illegal seafood.
The blitz is thorough - they are targeting one restaurant or seafood outlet every day.
The black market trade in seafood including rock lobster, abalone, marron, dhufish, pink snapper and Spanish mackerel is now rampant in WA.
Some cases are being sold to restaurants at less than half the price.
While this creates big savings, the sea food black market is creating a public risk.
There are now fines of up to $400,000 and four years’ jail for catching or selling seafood illegally.
As part of the crackdown, offenders can be banned from fishing and their fishing equipment, vehicles and vessels would be confiscated.
Officers from the fisheries division in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development carried out 228 seafood-related inspections last financial year and detected 22 offences.
And so far this year, they carried out 254 inspections. Some investigations are ongoing.
Raids this year have included one on a popular northern suburbs restaurant and bar alleged to be engaging in black market seafood dealing. Officers also executed a search warrant at a Stirling home linked to the business. They seized computers and paperwork.
“In most instances it is people selling seafood that they have caught under the pretext of a recreational fishing activity, but there have been some instances where commercial fishers have been found to be selling seafood outside of the authority of their commercial licence,” John Looby, the compliance manager at the fisheries division told Perth Now.
“Black market product is sold for much less than wholesale price usually — in the order of 50 per cent — and in a recent case rock lobster were sold for $15 each when the retail price would be closer to $40-50 each.”
He said restaurants buying seafood on the black market were taking risks with customers’ lives.
Cicerello’s owner Nick Unmack, who owns and runs four popular seafood eateries in Fremantle and Mandurah, told Perth Now the black market trade was mostly seen among small-scale and family operated restaurants.
by Leon Gettler, October 30th 2017
