Minister for Fisheries Joe Francis started the year warning West Australians that those who interfere and pull other people’s rock lobster pots are at risk of having their boat seized or facing a $400,000 fine.
Mr Francis said pulling other people’s pots was theft and un-Australian, and he said fisheries had already seized seven boats for lobster-related offences this season.
“Pulling rock lobster pots that aren’t yours and stealing the catch is a low act,” he said.
“Those people now face the prospect of having their boat confiscated and they could also lose their vehicle and fishing equipment.”
Mr Francis said in most serious cases involving illegal fishing offences the crooks could be served fines up to $400,000 or four years in jail.
“Fisheries officers are out there watching day and night – it’s just not worth doing the wrong thing,” he said.
However, Mr Francis also said those recreational fishers who were following the rules were seeing the benefits of paying their license fees, which Fisheries reinvests into fishing-related initiatives such artificial reefs.
25 per cent of the money raised through licensing fees goes towards the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF), which funds several fishing-related projects up and down the West Australian coastline.
The most recent project through the RFIF is the construction of a $853,000 artificial reef six nautical miles off the Rottnest Island coast to attract species such as pink snappers, yellowtail kingfish and samson fish.
