Mandurah Magistrates Court: Three men fined thousands for catching undersized crabs

Zhanwei Li, who did not appear in court, entered an endorsed plea of guilty to possessing 39 undersized crabs.

Fisheries officer Dean Gregory told the court Li was found with the blue swimmer crabs in a box in Nirimba, on February 11, 2018. 

Mr Gregory said the crabs ranged from 98 millimeters to 126 millimeters. He said it was illegal to catch anything under 127 millimeters in size.  

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In a written letter to the magistrate, the associate professor said he was with his two children, who had caught most of the crabs, and said he was going to take the big crabs home and leave the small ones.

Li was charged $1500, an additional penalty of $1950 and $190.85 costs. He was granted a spent conviction.

Hesick Choi, who represented himself, pleaded guilty to three charges including providing false details and obstructing a fisheries officer while performing their duties. 

Fisheries Officer Dylan Pross told the court Choi was fishing on January 14, 2018, with a co-accused near the Len Howard Conservation Park in Erskine. 

When the fisheries officer approached Choi, he emptied his esky with three undersized crabs in the water, ranging from 105.8 mm to 123 mm. 

Hesick told the court he gave false details to the officers after the incident, because he was scared. He also said he was not aware of the fishing size limits. 

Magistrate Anne Longden took in to account Hesick’s guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and his remorse. 

Hesick was fined $2000, a penalty of $200 and 190.85 costs. 

Wei Sheng Boo, who did not appear in court, was given a $3000 fine, a $250 penalty and ordered to pay $190.85 costs after being found in possession of five undersized blue manna crabs and obstructing officers. 

After being approached by fisheries officers in Erskine on December 24, 2017, Boo walked back in to the water and emptied “several” crabs from his bucket into the water. 

Mr Pross said five undersized crabs were recovered from the water, ranging from 87.9 mm to 124.4 mm. 

The maximum penalty for obstructing a fisheries officer is $10,000 and a one year prison sentence and a $5000 fine for being in possession of a protected fish.