The charges resulted from a bust by fisheries officers from the NSW Department of Primary Industries at Bittangabee Bay, south of Eden, in May this year.

Minister Macdonald said the sentence sends a clear message to other people involved in illegal abalone activity.

“People who take abalone in excess of the bag and size limits have the potential to destroy both commercial and recreational abalone fisheries in NSW,” he said.

“Possession limits are in place to encourage responsible fishing, reduce the chance of over fishing and to ensure stocks remain at a suitable level for future harvest.”

DPI fisheries officers from the Statewide Operations and Investigations Group conducted a surveillance operation at Bittangabee Bay on a known abalone poaching syndicate on Wednesday 7 May 2008.

“Fisheries officers arrested five persons, well known to them for illegal abalone activity,” Minister Macdonald said.

“Over 600 shucked abalone were seized with a value of approximately $9,000 on the legitimate market.”