Perth restaurant fined for illegal abalone
The owners of the popular Shun Fung on the River restaurant were fined $11,500 in the Perth Magistrate's Court today for illegally buying abalone.
State prosecutor Daniel McDonnell told the court that an operation by Department of Fisheries officials had revealed that 11kg of abalone had been sold to the restaurant for $1300 on July 11 last year.
The court heard that Shun Fung Seafood Restaurant director Liao Qiping had been unable to provide receipts for the purchase and was new to the business, having only bought it in 2007.
Mr McDonnell said Ms Qiping had admitted to fisheries officers to receiving the abalone.
The business was handed a mandatory $9000 fine along with an additional $1500 fine and costs of $371 by magistrate Robert Black.
The prosecution went unopposed as neither a company representative or defence counsel attended proceedings.
Last year fisheries officers and police uncovered two alleged black market networks for abalone and rock lobster in Perth and the South-West.
Five vehicles, cash and 27kg of abalone valued at $4000 were seized after officers searched houses and businesses, including a suburban fish shop and city restaurants during the operation last August.
PERTH
GIORDANO STOLLEY
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Versus
Posts: 918
Date Joined: 06/03/09
Wan*ers
Correct me if im wrong, but people selling seafood commercially need some kind of licence/permit?
People buying commercial quantities for resale should be imposed a similar system. This restaraunt should then be banned from selling seafood ever again (assuming they knowingly purchased illegaly fished abalone).
How to tackle this problem?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Licence
Professional fishermen need a licence to catch fish and another one to sell fish.When the sell to a business they need to provide a receipt showing their licence number to who ever they sell to.If a buyer cannot produce a receipt they can be prosecuted.
Example-outside of marron season,if you are caught with marron in your possession without a receipt from a licenced marron producer you are gone.My son worked on a cray boat,at xmas the boss would give them 6 crays each,to ring them back from Jurien bay to the city they had to be in a bag/container with a consignment tag showing the boats licence number as proof of their origin.It is there to stop amateurs selling their catch and penalizing any business from buying from them
Versus
Posts: 918
Date Joined: 06/03/09
yeh thought so
but as for the restaraunt owners buying illegallty caught fish, apart from a fine what is there to stop them?