A Mandurah court has ordered a Gosnells couple to pay over $4,000 each, after they were found in possession of 93 undersized blue swimmer crabs in January this year.
Compliance officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development caught the 37-year-old man and his wife fishing on Len Howard Reserve in Erskine January 18.
The incident has cost the couple a total of $4,918.70 each, which includes their court costs.
The Mandurah Magistrates Court saw a similar case on Friday September 4 when a 24-year old Wundowie man was found with 60 undersized blue swimmer crabs off Herron Point, attracting a fine of over $3,000.
A 62-year-old Cooloongup woman will also have to pay a total of $2,198.70 after she was caught with 29 undersized blue swimmer crabs in March.
Compliance officers received a tip-off via FishWatch and stopped the vehicle she was driving in Wannanup, where she had been fishing in shallow water.
DPIRD's Supervising Fisheries and Marine Officer at Mandurah Ryan Smith said mandatory penalties were not worth the risk of taking more than the bag limit or anything undersize.
"The prescribed value of blue swimmer crab in fishing regulations is $5, but when a mandatory penalty is applied for an offence, ten times five makes it $50 per crab, so for every undersized or over the bag limit crab, offenders can be in for an expensive date in court," he said.
"I would also like to remind all fishers that blue swimmer crabs are now off-limits entirely until the beginning of December and can not be taken in any waters including rivers, estuaries and man-made waterways from the Swan River to Rich Road, Minninup Beach. These waters are closed to crab fishing from 1 September to 30 November."
More information on this closure and other rules is available in the Recreational fishing guide, available on the department’s website at www.fish.wa.gov.au.
DPRID urge people to report any suspected illegal fishing activity to FishWatch on 1800 815 507.
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