Illegal marron fishing is being targeted in a crackdown by The Department of Fisheries Western Australia.
The Department of Fisheries has been, and will continue to focus patrols around the Collie and Harvey areas and down to Pemberton.
Richard Petty, Compliance manager for the South West for The Department of Fisheries said the Department are really focusing on stronger checks in these areas.
“We are doing these patrols and checks to help the sustainability of marron stocks in the area.”
Mr Petty said that the Department is targeting both out of season fishing, and the use of illegal equipment to catch the marron.
“We are targeting pre-season fishing and in season fishing by illegal means, such as using traps and issuing infringements for using illegal gear,” he said.
The Department has been engaging with local police to stop cars for checks, as well as setting up designated stop and search points, in addition to patrolling fishing spots and night fishing.
“We are also focusing some of our efforts on the Blackwood River in the Margaret River region,” Mr Petty said.
In the Collie Magistrates Court last week five people were issued fines for illegal marron fishing.
Shane Vincent Carpenter, 42, Krysty-Lee Sherree Foster, 26, Gregory Dale Moxon, 49, Mark William James Smith, 35 and Jed Roy Tanian, 19, were all charged with fishing outside of the designated marron season.
They were each fined $300 and $150.80 in court costs. In addition to the fine they also received a second fine which was based on the amount of marron caught. Mr Carpenter, Mr Moxton, and Mr Smith, who had caught 46 marron at Wellington Dam, 41 of which were undersized, were each issued individual fines of $2300 each. The marron were all returned to the water alive.
Ms Foster was caught using live baits in Wellington dam to catch marron outside of the marron fishing season. She caught a total of 7 marron and was fined $350 in addition to a $300 fine and court costs. The court ordered confiscation of all fishing equipment.
“The levels of non-compliance have become unacceptable,” Mr Petty said.
