Australia’s border under siege: Jump in prosecutions of illegal fishers caught in northern waters

Australian authorities have prosecuted 19 illegal fishermen one month into this financial year — a quarter of the total made last year — amid ongoing concerns about the security of the nation’s northern borders.

But maritime patrols of the waters to Australia’s north have dropped for the third year in a row.

The Nightly can reveal the new numbers after authorities captured another four illegal fishing boats, this time in Kuri Bay north of Broome, once alerted to their presence by local fishing tour operators on Tuesday.

There has been a huge swell in illegal fishing in the wake of the pandemic due to tourism operations shutting down and soaring prices for sea cucumber and shark fins.

WA deputy premier Rita Saffioti questioned whether there were sufficient resources to keep watch on more than 30,000km of coastline.

“We have always said that we believe we should have a better presence, a bigger presence from Australian Federal Police and Border Force off the Kimberley and the North West,” she said.

“It is a massive coastline. It is a very big area to protect.”

But Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the joint operation — the first one to tackle illegal fishing — had been a success so far.

“Our position on illegal fishing is very clear – if you are committing a crime in Australian waters you will be tracked down by our agencies and face the full force of Australian law,” he told The Nightly.

“The joint operation ensures that all available assets are being used to tackle this problem and it has been hugely successful at capturing and seizing or destroying the boats, catch and equipment of criminal fishers.”

An Australian Border Force spokesperson said the community would always play an important role in protecting the border, and encouraged people to report suspicious activity, as happened with the boat seizures this week.

“With well in excess of 30,000km of coastline to protect – vast amounts of which is situated in very remote areas – we are not naive enough to suggest that we can be everywhere at any one time, which is why members of the public are important,” they said.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority works in partnership with the Australian Border Force to deter illegal fishing along with patrols watching out for people smugglers and other unlawful activity.

Authorities prosecuted 76 Indonesian fishers in 2023-24, The Nightly can reveal. They also burned or sunk 58 boats seized from illegal fishing operations.

In July alone, in the new financial year, one boat was disposed of and 19 Indonesians were found guilty of illegal fishing.

This included five people who pleaded guilty in a Darwin court on July 31.

Their boat, carrying a “substantial quantity” of fishing equipment including 60 metres of gill net was seized along with 20kg of various finfish and eight Jewfish swim bladders, which authorities said were highly sought after in Asian markets.

Punishments imposed by the courts have ranged up to $8000 fines and five-year good behaviour bonds with thousands of dollars paid as sureties.

Australian authorities have warned Indonesian fishers they are determined that ventures straying into Australian waters will be caught, and they risk losing their livelihood — with their boats destroyed — on top of hefty fines as a result.

“AFMA, in partnership with Maritime Border Command, remains committed to targeting illegal foreign fishing in Australian waters to protect our precious marine resources,” Fisheries Operations general manager Justin Bathurst told The Nightly.

Security experts and the Opposition have previously raised concerns the uptick in illegal fishing ventures could be disguising people smuggling boats.

Authorities returned four people smuggling ventures, carrying a total of 24 people, in the last financial year, new Border Force figures show.

A further six ventures were reported to have reached Australian shores — including those that arrived in Beagle Bay and near Truscott airbase — in 2023-24.

Border Force figures also reveal the number of maritime patrol days fell for the third consecutive year.

The total number of marine unit patrols in 2023-24 was down to 2034 days, the lowest in at least eight years.

This was a 4.5 per cent drop in the amount of patrol days in the previous year, on top of a 6.6 per cent fall in 2022-23. However, it was not the largest annual drop in patrols; the 2195 days conducted in 2018-19 was a 17. 7 per cent far from the year prior.

Shadow Home Affairs minister James Paterson said there was a test for new minister Tony Burke to make the necessary investments to “reverse this downward spiral” and protect the borders.

“These latest figures reveal the consequences of Labor’s shocking neglect of Operation Sovereign Borders,” Senator Paterson said.

“On Labor’s watch, boat arrivals are going up while air and maritime surveillance are going down as our Border Force capabilities have been left to degrade.”