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Whitebait Poachers Fined
Thanks to a tip off from a member of the public and a joint enforcement operation between the IFS and Parks and Wildlife Service, two whitebait poachers have been charged and fined a total of $2,040.00 for possessing more than the quota allowed and fishing without a recreational whitebait licence.
Thanks to a tip off from a member of the public, two whitebait poachers were apprehended last whitebait season on the Forth River. A subsequent search of the defendants' residence by Inland Fisheries and Parks and Wildlife officers enabled the seizure of further illegal quantities of whitebait.
The case against the poachers was heard last month in the Devonport Magistrates Court and the pair was fined a total of $2,040.00. Mark Foster pleaded guilty to the charge of taking more than 1 kg of whitebait in any one day and possessing more than 10 kg of whitebait at any one time. Alice Mashall pleaded guilty to the charge of taking and possessing whitebait without a licence. Foster was fined $1,200.00 and Marshall, $840.00.
The IFS will issue a notice of disqualification to both defendants to prevent them from holding a recreational whitebait licence for a specified period. This conviction is a direct result of the IFS and the Parks and Wildlife Service working together in enforcement activities on matters of mutual interest.
