WA Fisheries hands out slew of fines to abalone fisher rule-breakers from Busselton Jetty to Guilderton

Fisheries officers were out in force during Saturday morning’s abalone hour admonishing greedy shellfish lovers — issuing almost double the official bag limit warnings than the last session. Hundreds of eager fishers took to the waters from Busselton Jetty to Guilderton to get their hands on the elusive abalone, which is only allowed to be fished for four hours over four days each summer. It was a busy morning for volunteers and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development staff alike as they patrolled designated beaches from 7am to 8am. Surf lifesavers performed six rescues, issued first aid to 24 people and undertook 430 “preventative actions” during the highly-anticipated time slot. But despite the presence of Fisheries officers on the sand, not everyone played by the rules. Officers issued 17 fines for fishers who took more than the legal bag limit — 15 per licensed fisher — plus 19 official bag limit warnings. It’s almost double the bag warnings issued at the previous session last month when staff issued just 10 warnings. One fisher was issued a shucking fine — abalone enthusiasts are prohibited from shucking their catch within 200m of the high-water mark — while five fines and four warnings were handed out for undersized abalone. The minimum size for Roe’s abalone is 60mm across the widest part of the shell. A DPIRD spokesman said the department urges fishers to “always measure the abalone before removing them from a reef”. Another fine and four warnings were issued for those fishing outside the designated 7am to 8am window, while another two received a fine and a warning for not having the required fishing licence — which costs $50. Overzealous fishers who took shellfish other than abalone from within the Marmion Marine Park were also reprimanded with a fine and four warnings issued. Illegal fishing attracts hefty penalties during abalone season, with fines reaching as high as $10,000 plus up to 10 times the dollar value of the species, and particularly egregious breaches can even face prosecution. Fishers attempting to sell their catch could also be fined up to $400,000 — plus up to 10 times the prescribed value of the catch — or even jail time. The abalone fishing session had more than its fair share of action with Surf Living Saving WA sharing a tweet to X (formerly Twitter) of their experience of the day. “Our team conducted 430 preventative actions, performed 24 first aids and 6 rescues,” the caption read. The organisation revealed over 160 volunteers patrolled WA beaches to help keep fishers safe. Saturday was meant to be the final abalone hour of the season but DPIRD is considering holding one more after the third session scheduled for February 3 was cancelled over rough conditions. “The decision will be made based on the safety risk and pending the assessment of the catch level from this morning’s fishing hour,” a DPIRD spokesman said. An update will be communicated to fishers through social media, text messaging, email alerts or via the media.