A Midland Court has ordered Byron Anagnostakis, owner of Bassendean Seafoods in Cumberland Way Bassendean to pay a total of $9,949.20 for a fine, mandatory penalty and court costs, after pleading guilty to receiving fish and failing to keep records in relation to the delivery. Fisheries and Marine Officers inspected the business premises and found large amount of fish of which there was no records.
Magistrate Colin Roberts in his statement said that Anagnostakis do not hold a fish processor’s licence and was unable to produce any records or receipts for the fish delivered to him by Barry and Scott Paxman. And so the Paxman duo (father and son) also charged to have more than the possession limit of fish, based on the number of fish included in their delivery to Bassendean Seafoods.
The duo had 14 Spanish mackerel, one coral trout and one coronation trout more than they should have. Chief Magistrate Steven Heath has ordered the father and son with fines of $500 each and also ordered them to each pay an additional mandatory penalty of $3710 plus court costs of $234.60.
Department of Fisheries’ Central Support Manager Ian Jones told that their acts have breached the Fish Resources Management Act. He added that the recreational fisheries should not exceed their limited quotas and that any person who receives or purchases fish for a commercial purpose must keep the required records.
