A Gold Coast bait supplier has pleaded guilty and been fined $10,000 for moving raw prawns outside the white spot disease biosecurity zone.
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Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said a government employee had collected the prawns from a shop in the Warwick region.
Testing showed the prawns were positive for white spot syndrome.
“Once the bait prawns tested positive for white spot syndrome virus all at-risk prawns associated with the consignment were immediately traced and removed from sale,” Mr Furner said.
“We also conducted surveillance in local rivers and dams in the area with all tests returning negative results.
“It is very lucky that the consignment was detected quickly and the bait recalled, otherwise someone could have unknowingly spread white spot disease to new waterways in the area."
The bait supplier was fined in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, with the magistrate saying the penalty should send a "clear message" to industry.
White Spot Syndrome movement restrictions are in place from Caloundra to the NSW border and west to Ipswich for prawns, yabbies and marine worms.
Suspected white spot cases should be reported to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.
