Three men from Baldivis aged 59, 54 and 49 and a 28-year-old Waikiki man were each ordered to pay $3,554.84 for their offences.
They had jointly caught and retained 20 whole pink snapper, which were found when they returned to the Denham boat ramp on the afternoon of 5 May 2023.
When Fisheries and Marine Officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development conducted an inspection, they located the 20 pink snapper, as well as 51.32 kilograms of fish fillets, which were in a freezer in a vehicle belonging to one of the men. The statewide possession limit is 10 kilograms per person and one day’s bag limit of whole fish.
Each man was charged with being in possession of more than twice the limit of category one fish and taking more than twice the bag limit of pink snapper. Each fisher had exceeded the daily bag limit by three.
The court heard in a witness impact statement by DPIRD Senior Principal Research Scientist Dr Gary Jackson that pink snapper remained a key ‘indicator’ species monitored and periodically assessed by DPIRD.
Strict new management arrangements were implemented in 2018 to assist the stock to rebuild. These included a large reduction in the commercial annual catch quota and three-month spawning closure around northern Bernier Island.
The most recent stock assessment in 2022 indicated that while the pink snapper stock is recovering, it is still below the required biomass level.
In addition to the management of commercial fishing in the Gascoyne Coast Bioregion, current management arrangements for recreational fishing include a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence, the spawning closure around northern Bernier Island (1 June to 31 August each year), daily bag and boat limits, and minimum legal lengths for some key species.
The impact statement also noted that illegal recreational fishing is detrimental to the sustainability of pink snapper and other important demersal stocks in the Gascoyne Coast Bioregion.
DPIRD’s Acting Director Regional Compliance for the Midwest and Gascoyne, Ben Doncon said the heavy fines handed down in the case were appropriate and indicated the seriousness of the fishing offences.
“Pink snapper is one of the most important species in the Gascoyne Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource that supports commercial and recreational fishing activities between Kalbarri and Exmouth,” Mr Doncon said.
Please call FishWatch 1800 815 507 to report any illegal fishing activity you become aware of or lodge your concerns through the online form on Crimestoppers.
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