This is the biggest illegal abalone bust in 20 years

More than 3300 illegal abalone — a fifth of which were undersized — and a pile of shark fins have been seized in Western Sydney in a joint surveillance operation dubbed Operation Symmetry led by Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and a team of crack Fisheries officers.

The extraordinary bust of the NSW criminal seafood syndicate, with connections to a restaurant owner, has led to the biggest seizure of illegal abalone in the State in more than two decades.

The stash of abalone weighed approximately 300kg and had a market value of more than $57,000. Fisheries officers also located and seized 40kg of shark fin.

Illegal abalone and seafood poaching has been linked to crime syndicates in NSW and Victoria in the past, with some poachers gaining infamy for their high-powered dive boats that can outrun police.

The CamCraft seen here has specs that say 30 degrees of deadrise, which is as sharp as you can get in a hull, and authorities repurposed one that was repossessed to chase other ab poachers around Bass Strait.

Jail time, a huge fine and loss of expensive car were dolled out to one Victorian crook for organised poaching of marine life as outlined in this article.

Abalone crims have been jailed for up to four years in NSW before, too.

OPERATION SYMMETRY
More immediately, Operation Symmetry, a joint operation between DPI and NSW Police, has investigated the illegal trafficking of commercial quantities of abalone from the NSW South Coast to unlicensed Sydney-based abalone receivers.

Following an extended and targeted surveillance operation by fisheries officers from the Statewide Operations and Investigations Group, a 59-year-old man from Mogo NSW was intercepted in the western Sydney suburb of Berala near Auburn in Western Sydney.

It will be alleged this man delivered a consignment of illicit abalone to a residence in Beral, where the man’s vehicle was seized. He was arrested and taken to Auburn Police Station.

After the man’s vehicle was intercepted, with the assistance of NSW Police, some 439 abalone were initially seized from the car, along with documentation allegedly relating to abalone trafficking.

HUGE STASH OF ABS AND FINS
DPI Fisheries Investigators then executed a search warrant on the house at Berala and seized 2870 alleged illegal abalone weighing approximately 300kg and located and seized 40kg of shark fin.

This also led to a 62-year-old man, the owner of a Western Sydney seafood restaurant, who will now face a range of charges including trafficking in fish which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

Fisheries officers conducted a raid of the seafood restaurant and seized a further quantity of abalone. It will be alleged that 645 of the 3300 seized abalone were prohibited size. Both men are expected to face court and investigations are continuing.

BLACK MARKET BLACK LIPS
NSW Police Marine Area Command work with DPI to target illegal poaching of marine life and will continue to work closely to detect the trafficking and illegal sale of abalone.

Individuals convicted of trafficking abalone can receive a maximum of 10 years gaol and a fine up to 10 times the market value of the abalone, meaning this stash could bring a $570,000 fine.

If you are offered to purchase cheap abalone or from an unlicensed commercial fisher you could be involved in the trafficking of illegal abalone. The only way to guarantee the quality of abalone is to buy it from a reputable seafood retailer.

Anyone with information on suspected illegal fishing activity is urged to call the Fishers Watch phone line on 1800 043 536 or to provide police with information regarding these incidents call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

PRAWNS AND CRABS TOO
With the prawn crisis also biting due to import restrictions after white spot disease closed three farms in SE Queensland, illegal activity has shifted to this area, too.

At Coila Lake on the NSW South Coast in January 2017, five men and two women from Ulladulla were allegedly found in joint possession of 280 litres of Eastern King Prawns.

The bag and possession limit for prawns in NSW is 10 litres per person. All 280 litres of prawns — roughly 280kg — were seized along with a hand hauled prawn net and a prawn cooker. Investigations are continuing and the people may face prosecution later in the year.

On the crab front, since Christmas, Fisheries Officers working as part of Operation Portunus (targeting illegal crabbing and prawning activity) have seized 189 crab traps, 47 hoop nets (witches hats) and a yabby trap between Lake Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.

The majority of the illegal crabbing gear has been seized from Lake Macquarie (which is closed to the use of crab traps), Port Stephens, Solitary Islands Marine Park and the Hunter River. It is estimated that the retail value of the seized gear exceeds $5000.

With seafood prices through the roof, the temptation for poachers is great. But authorities are getting smarter with their surveillance operations. Expect to read about more seafood busts in the near future. The best advice we can give is to catch your own.