A magistrate has hit a Dudley Park man with an $11,000 fine and $190.85 in court costs after he set and pulled a lobster pot that was registered to his wife, not him, and interfered with other pots that did not belong to him or family members.
According to the Department of Primary Industries, it is an offence for a person to pull or set a rock lobster pot, unless that fishing gear has the identification number unique to that person’s rock lobster licence.
The court heard 36-year-old Richard Collard and Daylan Nathan (36) from Halls Head went out near Blue Bay at Halls Head on November 7, 2016, and Fisheries officers observed them pulling, setting or interfering with nine lobster pots.
Collard, who was the skipper and owner of the vessel the men were on, pleaded guilty, when he appeared in the Mandurah Court on Friday, November 17, 2017.
Nathan, who had previously pleaded guilty at an earlier court appearance, was fined $4500 and costs of $190.85 on October 13, 2017.
The court heard that during targeted surveillance of Collard’s vessel, in Blue Bay, on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, he was observed with Halls Head man Daniel Potter (32) pulling, setting or interfering with five rock lobster pots.
Potter was fined $2000 and ordered to also pay court costs of $190.85 for his offences.
South Metropolitan Region Compliance Manager John Breeden said the nature of rock lobster fishing required pots to be set and left unattended.
“Pots are marked clearly with unique floats and gear identification numbers, so there is no excuse for confusing one pot with another,” he said.
“WA’s fisheries are well managed and the minority of fishers who do the wrong thing have triggered community backlash, especially through social media, so the significant result in this case shows how serious the consequences of offending can be.”
Call FishWatch on 1800 815 507 to report any suspected illegal fishing activity. Information on rules and limits is available in the Rock lobster recreational fishing guide, which can be viewed or downloaded at www.fish.wa.gov.au.