A 47-year-old man from New South Wales and a 58-year-old Western Australian were fined by a Karratha Court magistrate on Tuesday, June 23, for taking four times the allowable daily bag limit of ark shells.
Around 19:30 local time on January 24 this year, fisheries officers with the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) observed the two men leaving the mud flats at King Bay on the Burrup Peninsula.
The man from Miller in NSW and the WA man from Merriwa had each collected eight litres of marine molluscs shells, far exceeding the rk shell daily bag limit of two litres per person. Both men had entered endorsed pleas of guilty.
The WA man was fined $480, given an additional penalty of $337.50 and issued costs of $194.30. The NSW man was fined $500, received a $370.00 additional penalty and was ordered to pay $194.30 in court costs.
DPIRD Supervising Fisheries and Marine Officer at Karratha Michael Dunne said officers were concerned about this level of overfishing for ark shells, which has the potential to threaten the sustainability of the mollusc stocks.
"DPIRD has regular fisheries compliance patrols targeting illegal fishing for ark shells in the King Bay area, and stocks in the King Bay area have been heavily reduced," Mr Dunne said.
Ark shell molluscs are slow-moving or sedentary and known as suspension feeders, filtering plankton and organic detritus from the water and helping to maintain water clarity and contribute to sediment stabilisation. DPIRD said they support biodiversity by providing habitat for small fish and crustaceans.
Anyone who suspects illegal fishing activity of any kind should report it to FishWatch on 1800 815 507 or use online form on Crimestoppers.
A recreational fishing from boat licence (RFBL) is required if you are collecting ark shells from a powered boat, even if diving or snorkelling from the boat. No RFBL is required for shore-based collection.
