"DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE" | Chinese couple fined nearly $8000 after catching 62 undersized crabs from Peel Inlet on New Year's Day
A husband and wife who claimed they had no idea there were rules around crabbing have been hit with fines totalling more than $7600 after taking a haul of almost entirely undersized blue swimmer crabs from a popular Mandurah waterway.
Mingfu and Lili Xue were convicted in their absence at Mandurah Magistrates Court on April 7 after being caught by Fisheries officers crabbing at Coodanup on the Peel Inlet on New Year's Day.
When officers inspected the couple's container, they found 63 blue swimmer crabs.
But only one met the legal size requirement. The remaining 62 were all undersized and should never have been kept.
The pair were also dramatically over the legal bag limit, which allows each crabber to take just 10 crabs per day. Their combined haul was 43 crabs above the permitted total.
In an interview with Fisheries officers, Lili Xue said she was unaware crabs needed to be measured before keeping them, and had no knowledge of bag limit rules.
Magistrate Gavin MacLean was blunt in his assessment of the couple's conduct, describing them as "incredibly naive."
"They were taking photos and didn't have a clue," he said.
Both were convicted of one count each of possessing undersized crabs and exceeding the bag limit, fined $3815 apiece and ordered to pay $194 in costs. The total financial hit for the couple's New Year's outing was $8018.
The Peel Inlet is one of WA's most popular and productive crabbing destinations, drawing thousands of recreational fishers each summer.
Blue swimmer crabs must meet a minimum size of 127mm across the carapace before they can be legally kept — a rule designed to protect juvenile crabs and ensure the long-term health of the fishery.
Fisheries officers regularly patrol the inlet and surrounding waterways during peak crabbing season, with penalties for breaches among the steepest in the State's recreational fishing framework.
Recreational crabbers in WA are required to carry and use a gauge to measure every crab before deciding whether to keep it, and must remain within the daily bag limit at all times.
Size and bag limit rules, along with gear restrictions, are outlined on the Recfishwest and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development websites.
Anyone who witnesses suspected illegal fishing activity is encouraged to report it to Fishwatch on 1800 815 507.
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