Joint media release - Senator Chris Ellison, Minister for Justice and Customs and Senator Eric Abetz, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation

The Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, and Federal Fisheries Minister, Senator Eric Abetz, have welcomed the conviction of the crew from the foreign fishing boat Taruman in the NSW District Court yesterday.

A jury found the Master and fishing master of the FV Taruman guilty of fishing illegally inside Australian waters near Australia's remote Macquarie Island.

Senator Abetz said the outcome was a significant legal victory in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregistered (IUU) fishing.

"The decision confirms that Australia was within its rights to board an IUU vessel in international waters, acting on evidence that the boat had previously been fishing illegally in Australian waters.

"The conviction sends a clear message to the international fishing community that Australia will not tolerate illegal exploitation of its fisheries resources."

The Cambodian-flagged vessel was boarded by Fisheries and Customs officers in September last year. The boarding occurred in international waters approximately 720 nautical miles (1,333 kilometres) north, north west of Macquarie Island, 660 nautical miles (1,200 kilometres) south of Hobart.

The Customs and Fisheries patrol boat Oceanic Viking escorted the FV Taruman to Hobart for further investigation by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA). The vessel was carrying 143 tonnes of Patagonian toothfish.

Senator Ellison congratulated the crew of the Oceanic Viking in apprehending the vessel, as well as AFMA investigators and the officers of the Director of Public Prosecutions for their efforts in putting together the case.

"Boarding an illegal vessel on the high seas is a hazardous operation, but the Customs and Fisheries officers on board the Oceanic Viking have clearly demonstrated their capability to intercept and apprehend poachers in some of the harshest waters in the word," Senator Ellison said.

He praised the Cambodian Government, the flag state of the illegal vessel, which authorised the boarding of the FV Taruman by Customs and Fisheries officers. "Government to government co-operation is vital in the fight against illegal operators in the Southern Ocean," Senator Ellison said.

"Thanks must also go to the New Zealand Defence Force for its assistance in providing important photographic evidence of the FV Taruman conducting fishing operations inside Australian waters."

The maximum penalty for fishing illegally in the Australian Fishing Zone is $825,000. The boat catch and gear had previously been forfeited to the Commonwealth. Sentencing of the two crew members will take place on Monday.

Media enquiries:
Brad Stansfield (Senator Abetz) 03 6224 3707 / 0419 884 666

Carly Phillips (Senator Ellison) 0262 777 260 / 0400 512 696

Note to editors:
Photographs of the apprehension of the FV Taruman can be download from the image gallery (select 'Australia boards suspected illegal foreign fishing boat south of Tasmania - 10 September 2005').