Australian Border Force (ABF) have teamed up with Western Australia's peak recreational fishing body Recfishwest to help combat illegal foreign fishing in the state's north.
In a first of its kind in Australia, ABF have joined with Recfishwest to provide a reporting function on their popular fishing app, for people to use when they spot suspicious activity on land and water from Onslow to the Northern Territory border.
The app will take users directly to the Department of Home Affairs' Border Watch Online Report form so details such as location and the nature of the suspicious activity can be provided.
ABF Commander Ranjeev Maharaj said illegal foreign fishing is not tolerated in Australian waters and the community's assistance in reporting this activity plays an important role in a region as vast and remote as WA's north.
"WA fishers are the first to understand how important it is to protect our marine environment and that illegal fishing undermines sustainability of marine stocks for future generations," Commander Maharaj said.
"We work with a number of our partners with aerial, land and sea surveillance and response operations to deter, detect and take enforcement action in response to illegal foreign fishers and every report of suspicious activity to Border Watch is taken seriously.
"Fishers know their environment and what looks and sounds suspicious, and can be an important set of eyes and ears, and reports can be made anonymously."
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said West Aussie fishers care deeply about protecting our waters and fisheries and we see it as our duty to report illegal or suspicious activity when we're out on the water.
"Partnering with the Australian Border Force gives WA fishers a simple and direct way to do just that," Dr Rowland said.
"With our free app already downloaded more than 300,000 times and thousands of fishers regularly on the water in the North-West, often in remote areas - our community is well-placed to be a powerful ally in supporting the ABF's efforts to combat illegal fishing and safeguard our coast for future generations."
Anyone can report suspicious border related activity online to Border Watch via borderwatch.gov.au. You can remain anonymous. By reporting suspicious activities, you help protect Australia's border and the community.
