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Indonesian children as young as nine are trawling Australia‘s waters to fish illegally, Immigration Department records show. More than 10 per cent of those caught fishing illegally in Australian waters are minors.
Since last July there have been 289 minors processed as illegal fishers and repatriated to Indonesia.
In total, 2647 illegal fishers have been caught this financial year.
The juveniles are classified as dependant minors and usually have a parent or guardian on the boat with them.
On average, the juveniles are 16 years old.
Only last month authorities detained a nine-year-old boy, caught on board an Indonesian fishing boat 450km north of Broome. He was among 15 illegal fishers on board the Indonesian fishing boat, the fourth caught off WA‘s Kimberley coast in a week.
A large quantity of trochus shell was found on the boat.
An Immigration spokesman said construction of the Darwin detention facility had been delayed by late rains but was expected to open between July and September.
No illegal fishers were being kept at the Darwin detention centre, the spokesman said.
Instead, they were housed at motels and serviced apartments around Darwin and "repatriated as a priority".
It is believed more than 13,000 illegal fishing vessels, mostly from Indonesia, enter northern Australian waters annually to plunder valuable shark fin and reef fish stocks from Top End waters. Source:
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