Seven accused abalone poachers have been netted in a sting using covert divers by the Victorian Fisheries Authority in Hobsons Bay.
Undercover and uniformed officers conducted a one-day operation between Williamstown and Altona earlier this month.
Senior fisheries officer Dane Robinson said the accused came from as far as Shepparton with the largest bag containing 135 abalone – 130 more than the five abalone allowed by law.
“We utilised a fisheries officer compliance dive team where they will swim out and dive on potential offenders and catch them red-handed in possession of abalone,” he said.
“There is a black market in abalone in Victoria. Depending on where it’s sold, it can sometimes be up to $40-$50 per kilogram.”
Abalone are protected in Victoria and can only be collected during a 60-day open season, predominantly from November to April, and only on weekends and public holidays.
“There’s a lot of regulations to do with that, so you’ve got to dive in water deeper than two metres and you must carry an abalone measuring device,” Mr Robinson said.
“You must measure the abalone before you remove them from the seabed.”
The recent sting netted four Shepparton men aged 33, 35, 36 and 42, a 44-year-old Pakenham woman and a 23-year-old Derrimut woman.
Possessing a commercial quantity of abalone is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and hefty fines.
Fisheries officers are also swooping on people taking shellfish and other invertebrates from the “intertidal protection zone”, which is from the high-water mark to a depth of two metres.
Report illegal fishing activity to 13FISH (133474).
