Illegal fishing crackdown legislation debated

Legislation to enact a ten-fold increase in penalties for illegal commercial fishing was debated in the NSW Parliament Upper House today.

The new maximum penalties of $110,000 for individuals and $220,000 for corporations would replace the current $11,000 maximum penalty.

These new maximum penalties will send a clear warning that unlicensed commercial fishing is a serious offence.

The changes are part of amendments in the Fisheries Management Amendment Bill.

The Bill also contains provisions to support the new management scheme for commercial fishers, which began on March 26.

The share management scheme gives commercial fishers long-term security by guaranteeing their fishing rights. It literally gives fishers a share in their own fisheries.

The legislation will also:

Cut bureaucratic "red-tape" by streamlining licensing and administration for commercial fishers.

Broaden the offence of harming marine vegetation - including making it an offence to harm mangroves and seagrasses by changing their environment.

By strengthening the definition of 'harm', the legislation will give better protection to mangroves and seagrasses, which are important fish habitats.

The legislative changes will improve management of the NSW seafood industry, which is worth more than half a billion dollars to the State's economy.