With the aid of the public, however, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority had a successful record of 77 prosecutions in the 1996-97 financial year, with only three unsuccessful cases. The Authority has an exceptional record and one it can stand by and many of the successes are the result of public reports,' he said. Yet, the legal system often makes it hard to prosecute a case without accurate and verified information and cases can be lost on technicalities. For example, if a tourist operator is seen within a 'no fishing' zone part of the evidence needed would be to prove that the operator has or has not informed their clients that it was illegal to fish in the area.
Evidence is like a jigsaw puzzle.
You generally need all the pieces to form the picture. Sometimes a few pieces can be missing and you can still determine the picture, but it depends on who's looking at the picture as to what they see,' Mr Honchin said. Details that are important to record are the vessel's registration number and description, location, time, weather, number of people, what they are wearing and the activities carried out. If possible take a photo or video footage of the incident. Patrols are limited so it is extremely important for the public to be involved.