Quinns Rocks fisher fined $30,000 for illegal lobster hauls

A 58-year-old Quinns Rocks man has had his fishing licence suspended and has been prohibited from being on any recreational fishing boat or possessing recreationally caught rock lobster for six months, the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said in a statement published earlier this week.

The man appeared in Joondalup Magistrates Court this week and was ordered to pay fines, penalties, and costs totalling more than $19,000. He also forfeited an additional $11,500 security bond he had paid for the return of a boat and trailer seized during a compliance operation by the DPIRD.

As part of Operation Aoba, the offender was found to have illegally sold recreationally caught rock lobster on three occasions between early December 2019 and February 2020.

In a statement to the court, it was revealed the man had illegally sold six fresh Western Rock Lobster for $100 on December 4, 2019, which were not taken and landed by a holder of a commercial fishing licence. A further six fresh lobster were illegally sold for $100 on December 11 2019 and 22 lobsters for $380 on February 27, 2020.

Operation Aoba resulted in the execution of a search warrant by DPIRD and WA Police in June 2020, when the man’s vessel and trailer were seized along with GPS equipment, cooking pots, and a burner.

DPIRD Regional Compliance Director Metro Todd A’Vard said the illegal sale of recreationally caught Western Rock Lobster undermined the hard-earned reputation of the state’s commercial industry.