Fishing boat skipper endangered crew on unsafe vessel

A Darwin Local Court heard that fishing boat skipper Daniel Schoolmeester, 49, failed to report a grounding and allegedly downplayed the damage to endanger his crew. Prosecutor Sam Lanskey told the court that in September 2023 the Gold Coaster grounded during a commercial fishing trip, took on water, was refloated, and underwent repairs. Despite regulations requiring reporting to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), Schoolmeester did not notify AMSA, telling authorities the vessel had only “touched mud” when rocks had punctured the hull. Crew called family members, prompting a police vessel to remove three crew members after Schoolmeester was still fishing despite a directive to return to port. AMSA later found multiple safety faults, including improper stowage of a life raft and emergency locator beacon and fire risk from navigation light wiring. Schoolmeester pleaded guilty to risking safety and failing to report, and was fined $4,000, with his company Northern Coastal Fisheries fined $2,000. He was also banned from commercial fishing.