TWO men have been ordered to pay a total of more $4,300 in fines and penalties, after breaching WA fishing rules related to demersal scalefish.
Peter Andrew Ivey (47) from Wanneroo and Sandro Impiombato (46) of Ocean Reef both entered endorsed pleas of guilty, when their case came before Joondalup Court last week.
Ivey was issued with fines, costs and penalty of $3,035.70 for having caught and kept four West Australian dhufish; four times the daily bag limit for the species in the West Coast Region. Impiombato was ordered to pay $1,355.70 for his offence of breaching the combined bag limit for category one fish.
The daily bag limit for demersal scalefish in the West Coast Region is two per person.
When Impiombato was questioned by Fisheries and Marine Officers at the Two Rocks Marina boat ramp, on the afternoon of 29 December last year (2011), he was in possession of five demersal scalefish – one dhufish, two baldchin groper, one breaksea cod and one foxfish.
The men said they had been fishing together since 5am that Thursday.
North Metropolitan Region Compliance Manager Todd A’Vard said the court result was a reminder that demersal species have been under a range of management initiatives to reduce the overall catch levels, to help ensure sustainability.
“Fisheries and Marine Officers do regular compliance checks in the West Coast Region and often run inspections at boat ramps,” A’Vard said.
“Most people do the right thing, but those who ignore the rules, designed to protect species and ensure these popular fish are around in the future, can expect to be hit hard in the pocket.
“In this case, one of the offenders had to pay a mandatory penalty of $720 for each of the three dhufish in excess of the limit he was allowed. The mandatory penalty is based on 10 times the prescribed value for the particular species.”
Details of the fishing rules that apply from the Zuytdorp Cliffs, north of Kalbarri, to Black Point, east of Augusta, are available online at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/
