Two men have been fined $17,000 after park rangers found two dead green turtles and a dead dugong in their boat off Hervey Bay last year.
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Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers found the dead turtles and dugong, both protected species, in a boat in the Great Sandy Marine Park in October.
The men told rangers they had been given permission by Aboriginal elders to hunt and kill the animals for “tribal ceremony” reasons.
Investigations involving the Queensland government and Butchulla traditional owners of the Great Sandy region, found the men did not have the right to take the animals from the area, Ms Enoch said.
“Traditional Owners have hunting rights on their own country in accordance with Australian government’s Native Title Act 1993 but this does not apply to everyone and in this instance the taking of the animals was unlawful,” she said.
“DES respects that dugongs and turtles have important cultural and social values for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people living in coastal areas.”
The men were charged with one offence each of taking a protected animal and were fined $1000 and $500 respectively. Each man was also ordered to pay $7798.50 for the conservation value of the animals.
