Prawn licence to be suspended
Tuesday 24 April, 2007
Two Port Lincoln men have pleaded guilty and been convicted of various fisheries related offences. One man pleaded guilty to contravening conditions of a commercial prawn licence while the other pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of fish. As part of the penalty, the commercial prawn fishing licence will be suspended for a period of time.
Evidence given before the Port Lincoln Magistrates Court stated that between the 3rd and the 8th of March 2006 Mr Sylvio Vitlov (31) of Port Lincoln, as the registered master of the Spencer Gulf prawn vessel P026 “Michelle”, took marine scale fish as by catch in contravention to the conditions of the licence.
Other evidence stated that Mr Jovo Vitlov (58) also of Port Lincoln, went out in his recreational boat, met up with the prawn boat and unloaded the by catch from the prawn vessel.
Mr Jovo Vitlov’s vessel was intercepted by Fisheries Officers at a pontoon mooring in front of his residence in the Port Lincoln Marina where they uncovered a quantity of fish including undersize snapper, over the bag limit of whiting and frozen John Dory.
Magistrate Milazzo ordered that the Spencer Gulf prawn licence (P026) be suspended for the last five days of the PIRSA designated Spencer Gulf prawn fishing period in November 2007, or if that period is cancelled, then the suspension is to take place in the December period.
It is estimated that the loss of income as a result of the suspension of licence, for that specific fishing period, could be as much as $75,000.
As well as the licence suspension, Mr Sylvio Vitlov was fined $3,000 and an additional penalty of $999 plus court costs. Mr Jovo Vitlov was fined $800 pus costs.
In handing down the sentence, the Magistrate made it quite clear that fish stock were not an in-exhaustible resource and the Government had put in place strict licence conditions and regulations to protect fish stocks.
While he acknowledged that the amount of fish taken illegally was minimal, he stressed that the penalties imposed must bring home to the defendants, and other fishers, the importance of complying with laws put in place to protect the important fisheries resources in South Australia.
