Hefty fine for stealing fisher’s haul

An Albany commercial fisherman has been fined more than $17,000 after he was caught stealing fish from another operator’s nets and fishing in closed waters.

Michael Williams, 53, was fined in Albany Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday after a covert operation by the Department of Fisheries led to him being charged with two offences.

The court heard Williams was spotted illegally pulling the other commercial fisher’s nets in the early hours in October 2014 and keeping fish for his own gain.

Williams was found in possession of many fish during the operation and ordered to pay a total of $17,720 of fines, mandatory additional penalty and court costs.

Department of Fisheries compliance manager south Richard Petty said illegal fishing activity in the region came with a high probability of being caught.

and steep penalties if convicted.

“We have a strong capacity to detect the activities and do so more often than not,” he said.

“Such activity will most likely result in being prosecuted, and penalties in the past have been in the vicinity of $8000 per individual for recreational fishers, and in the tens of thousands for commercial fishers.

“We also strongly encourage people to report illegal activity, but also dob in anyone you know to be illegally dealing in fish.”

In an unrelated matter, three men were fined $1699 each after pleading guilty to setting fish traps in the Waychinicup River in September, 2014.

Christopher Delcanho, Dylan Schorer and Trevor Mitchell had baited and set fish traps late on September 24, 2014, with the intention of catching freshwater crayfish.

It is an offence in WA for a person to fish recreationally with fish traps in State waters.

Anyone with information about suspected illegal fishing activities is urged not to get involved, but to carefully observe what they see and call FishWatch on 1800 815 507 to make a report.