A 44 year-old man from South Lake has pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court and been fined $1,770 for assaulting and obstructing a compliance officer and exceeding the daily bag limit for roes abalone.
In February 2018, the man was stopped by Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) compliance officers as part of routine inspections at Trigg beach and found to be in possession of 24 Roe's abalone, exceeding the daily bag limit of 15 for the zone.
While the compliance officer was undertaking a lawful inspection of the catch, the man pushed the officer causing her to fall backwards and he threw nine abalone back into the ocean.
The magistrate has ordered the cancellation of the man’s recreational abalone fishing licence and prohibited him from fishing for abalone, being in possession of abalone and receiving abalone for a period of 12 months.
The man was also ordered to forfeit the 15 seized abalone and his abalone fishing equipment and pay an additional $891.40 in court costs.
A compliance officer checking seized abalone and fishing equipment
DPIRD Acting Principal Investigations Officer Brad Tilley said the penalties handed down by the magistrate, in addition to the fine, reflected the serious nature of these offences.
More on abalone fishing rules is available on the Fisheries website at www.fish.wa.gov.au - see the Abalone recreational fishing guide.