DNA technology has been used to prove a haul of female mud crabs seized in Sydney were illegally taken from Queensland. <\/p>\n
Investigators from Fisheries Queensland are increasingly using DNA technology to prosecute people involved in illegal fishing activities. <\/p>\n
In the latest case, tests led to a $35,000 fine for a central Queensland fisherman. <\/p>\n
He pleaded guilty in the Gladstone Magistrates Court last month to possessing 232 female mud crabs and attempting to sell them across the border in NSW. <\/p>\n
The haul was seized at the Sydney Fish Markets earlier this year after fisheries officers in Queensland were tipped off by an industry contact. <\/p>\n
'The suspect later confirmed he had taken the crabs from the Turkey Beach area before freighting them south. This was his third offence of this nature,' Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) investigator Deryk Smith said in a statement on Monday. <\/p>\n
Crabs from the Queensland coast have a different DNA profile to crabs from other parts of Australia. <\/p>\n
Female mud crabs can be lawfully sold in NSW, but they've been protected in Queensland since 1914. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
More: DNA technology has been used to prove a haul of female mud crabs seized in Sydney were illegally taken from Queensland. Investigators from Fisheries Queensland are increasingly using DNA technology to prosecute people involved in illegal fishing activities. Continue reading
\nDNA tests help nab illegal Qld crabber<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"