13FISH call helps abalone seizure at grocery store

20 August 2018

A member of the public’s phone call to 13FISH has alerted Fisheries Officers to a Sunshine North grocery store allegedly unlawfully offering for sale more than 300 abalone.

Victorian Fisheries Authority Director of Enforcement and Education Ian Parks said the abalone were seized by officers and the store owner has been interviewed and will be charged on summons.

“Abalone are a ‘priority species’ in Victoria and there are strict rules in place for retailers offering them for sale, which ensures they are sourced legally from licenced commercial abalone fishers or aquaculture businesses,” Mr Parks said.

“Amongst the seized seafood were five small unlabelled bags containing 257 individual abalone.

“In addition, officers seized 13 individually quick-frozen black-lip abalone that were unlabelled and 36 individually quick-frozen abalone with false labels.

Mr Parks said retailers wanting to sell seafood including abalone and other priority species such as rock lobster and Murray cod should familiarise themselves with Victoria’s rules that protect our wild fisheries and the interests of legitimate commercial fishing operators.

“Our Fisheries Officers are dedicated to exploring all avenues and technology to investigate offences and protect our fisheries resources.”

Anyone who sees or suspects illegal fishing, including the unauthorised sale of recreationally caught fish and shellfish, can report it to our 24-hour reporting line 13FISH (133474).