The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is continuing to ensure fishers are complying with the fishing rules for demersal scalefish with ongoing patrols and inspections being carried out across the State of WA.
Since June DPIRD’s Fisheries and Marine Officers have engaged around 5000 fishers and undertaken over 2800 catch inspections across cross the north, south and metropolitan areas.
This work resulted in 47 infringement notices and 38 warning notices being issued for recreational fishing offences.
It is timely to remind fishers the entire West Coast region from Kalbarri to Augusta is currently closed to boat-based demersal fishing as part of the stock recovery measures following two cases in court last week for possessing demersal fish during the closed period.
In the Joondalup Magistrates Court last week a 58-year-old man from Balga plead guilty to possessing demersal fish in the West Coast bioregion during the closure and fined a total of $2584 and had his Recreational Fishing from a Boat licence suspended for 12 months.
In March this year DPIRD FMOs inspected a vessel at sea off Ocean Reef and located eight fish fillets with no skin attached concealed underneath the floor of the vessel.
The Master of Vessel initially stated they were ‘kingy fillets’ however during subsequent discussion with FMOs he admitted the fillets were from one WA dhufish and one baldchin groper. The fish fillets were seized.
In a separate matter a 25-year-old man from Duncraig also plead guilty to possessing a demersal scalefish in the West Coast bioregion during the closure and was fined $1399 and had his Recreational Fishing from a Boat licence suspended for 12 months.
In May this year the man was observed by FMOs onboard a vessel fishing in waters west of Pinnaroo Point and later admitted to being in possession of a WA dhufish he had caught when inspected by officers at the Hillarys Boat Harbour boat ramp. The dhufish was seized.
Director of Regional Compliance – Metropolitan Todd A’Vard said FMOs continued to be out at boat ramps and on the water conducting day and night-time patrols to make sure fishers were sticking to the rules, particularly in the West Coast region, to help support the recovery of demersal fish stocks.
“It is pleasing to see the majority of boat fishers continuing to respect the demersal closure to allow stocks to recover,” he said.
“Those who are found doing the wrong thing may face substantial fines and additional penalties, which can include the suspension of Recreational Fishing from a Boat licence.
“The rules for recreational fishing are available in the Recreational Fishing Guide 2026 and information can also be found online by searching the rules by species and location.”
For more information, visit www.wa.gov.au
