Resurgence of illegal Indonesian fishers ‘unacceptable’ as companies say stocks are suffering
Fishers say highly organised illegal poaching of Australia’s fish and marine life is having a significant impact on fish stocks in the country’s remote northern waters. Northern Wildcatch Seafood operator Grant Barker, whose fleet of five boats fish remote waters off the West Australian and Northern Territory coast, said it was common to see Indonesian fishing boats operating within Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). He was concerned about the impact of illegal fishing on Australia’s fish stocks. “Depending on the time of the year and where our boats are fishing, we might have interactions with them 15 or 20 times a year,” he said. Mr Barker said illegal fishing was highly organised and designed to take as much catch as possible. Photos, video, >>click to read<< 11:59
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