Two men banned from rock lobster fishing
Monday 1 December, 2008

Two local men have had their rock lobster pot registrations suspended following an appearance in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court recently.

PIRSA Fisheries Officers observed the men retrieving each of their two registered recreational rock lobster pots plus two other unregistered rock lobster pots on two different occasions at Cape Douglas in the state’s southeast in December 2007.

The two unregistered rock lobster pots each had floats marked with commercial southern zone rock lobster fishery numbers. It is an offence for recreational fishers to use floats with commercial licence numbers.

As a result, Mr Raymond James Dunbar (42) of Cape Douglas and Mr Craig James Whitehead (36) of Mount Gambier were found guilty and convicted of a number of charges relating to illegal rock lobster fishing.

Mr Dunbar was fined $2000. He also had his recreational rock lobster registration suspended and is disqualified from holding a recreational rock lobster pot registration for a period of two years.

Mr Whitehead was fined $5000. He also had his recreational rock lobster registration suspended, is disqualified from holding a recreational rock lobster pot registration for a period of four years and is prohibited from being on any boat that is carrying any device designed for the purpose of taking rock lobster for a period of four years.

A total of six rock lobster pots seized by Fisheries Officers were also forfeited.

PIRSA Fisheries Services, Regional Manager East, Ms Mel Snart reminded fishers that a maximum of two registered pots can be used in the recreational rock lobster fishery.

"All recreational pots used must display a current recreational rock lobster tag and be operated by the person who holds that registration," Ms Snart said.

"We urge anyone who has information on fishers suspected of using excess recreational rock lobster pots to pass that information on to PIRSA Fisheries through the Fishwatch telephone service (1800 065 522) or their local Fisheries office."

Media Contact: Gary Darter, Acting Manager Compliance Operations, PIRSA Fisheries, Ph: 0408 805 477.