A 30-year-old Wickham man has been fined $1994 in Karratha Court this week after being caught spearfishing in a sanctuary area and exceeding the bag limit for Barcheek Coral Trout.
Fisheries officers with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development had observed the man with a speargun in the waters of the Southern Montebellos Sanctuary Area in July.
Officers inspected his boat, carrying four licenced fishers, and located five Barcheek Coral Trout, exceeding the combined bag limit of four. The limit is one coral trout for each licenced fisher.
It is also an offence to be in possession of fishing gear in the Sanctuary Area - where all fishing is prohibited.
The offender had previously been issued with an infringement 12 months earlier for fishing in the same location.
Also in Karratha Court, a 51-year-old Canning Vale man was ordered to pay $994 for obstructing Fisheries officers.
The man attempted to thwart a compliance inspection by the officers in July earlier this year, ignoring instructions and emptying his bucket of fish at Cleaverville Creek mouth, east of Karratha.
Fishers are required to comply with Fisheries officers directions, and it is an offence to obstruct an officer when performing a duty under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994.
At South Hedland Magistrates Court this week, a 50-year-old Queensland man was found guilty of using illegal fish traps at Finucane Island in June, taking a green mud crab and a western yellowfin bream.
Fisheries officers intercepted the man while retrieving his boat at the Finucane Island Boat Ramp. He did not hold a current recreational boat fishing licence.
Fish traps are prohibited across the State, because of their impacts on aquatic life indiscriminately catching crabs, fish, protected marine and freshwater species.
He was penalised more than $1780 in total including $450 for not having a fishing licence.
In a separate matter at the South Hedland Court last month, an 85-year-old man and 80-year-old woman from Ravenswood were ordered to pay almost $7000 for exceeding the possession limit of finfish fillets.
An inspection by Fisheries officers in May at the Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park, east of Port Hedland, found the offenders with a combined 38.66 kilograms of skinned fillets, exceeding the Statewide possession limit by 18.66 kilograms.
The possession limit for fillets is 10 kilograms of fillets from any species (no skin required once landed), plus 10 kilograms of fillets of large pelagic finfish, which must have skin attached for identification purposes.
DPIRD Regional Compliance North Director Stuart McDowall said with the holiday season approaching, anyone travelling to the region needed to be aware of the rules for each location and species before going fishing.
"Fishers must ensure they don't fish beyond the bag and possession limits and fish with legal gear, which is vital to the sustainability of our recreational fisheries," he said.
"The rules for recreational fishing are available in the Recreational fishing guide 2025 and information can also be found online by searching the rules by species and location ."
Anyone who suspects illegal fishing activity should call FishWatch on 1800 815 507 or report the matter via the online form on Crimestoppers .
