A 59-year-old man from the Perth suburb of Alexander Heights has been ordered to pay $929 in Karratha Court on Tuesday, November 25, for the possession of 12 litres of ark shells, five times over the allowable limit.
The man was observed collecting ark shells at King Bay on the Burrup Peninsula in April of this year.
Fisheries officers from the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) inspected the man's catch and found 12 litres of ark shells, a marine mollusc. The daily bag limit is only two litres.
Michael Dunne, DPIRD Supervising Fisheries and Marine Officer at Karratha, said the ark shell population around Karratha had been decimated by Cyclone Damien in February 2020.
“While stocks have been recovering, overfishing is an ongoing problem,” Mr Dunne said. “The department has increased its fisheries compliance patrols in the area to target illegal activity, and multiple infringements have been issued in the same location.”
DPIRD encourages anyone with information on illegal fishing to contact Crimestoppers.
