Illegal marron fishing in Great Southern

A trio of men have been charged in two cases of illegal marron fishing in the Great Southern.

The cases are a timely reminder that fishing for the crustacean out of season can be costly.

The first court case was in Albany where an 18 year old man was issued with fines, penalties and cost totalling over $2500.

Albany Magistrates Court heard that Mitchell Darcy Phillips used baited Opera House fish traps at Angove Creek in the Two Peoples Bay Water Reserve in late March this year, where he captured 16 marron and 36 koonacs.

He was fined and given additional mandatory penalties for using the illegal fish traps, alongside for taking the marron outside the designated recreational marron fishing season.

The second case took place in Manjimup where two men from Perth were fined over $3100 each.

A 44 year-old Cameron James Land and 50 year-old David George Miller did not appear in court but entered pleas of guilty for their offences detected late 2017.

A court in Manjimup was told that on December 28 2017 the two men set three baited fish traps in the Warren River, near Pemberton, and the next morning removed the traps from the water and retained nine marron.

They were fined for possessing marron in a non-possession period and for fishing for marron with illegal gear.

The marron season runs between fixed dates from Midday on January 8 to Midday on February 5 each year.

Details on the marron fishing closed season can be found on the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development website and in the Recreational fishing guide, along with information on our State’s fishing rules and limits.