A Gosnells resident has described the shock and anger she felt when she removed an illegal fishing net from the Southern River catchment in William Lane Park and found three dead turtles in the net.
Kate Sheedy was walking her dogs along the river on January 7 when she made the horrifying discovery.
She had pulled up an empty net, attached to a dog lead, a few weeks earlier, and noticing her dogs sniffing an area of the river, she went to investigate.
“It was Sunday afternoon, we were near the riverbank and the dogs have noticed something and I saw the trap,” she said.
“The net wasn’t attached to anything, so I pulled it out and I discovered these three dead turtles.
“It really riled me up, there was bait in there and these poor turtles have clearly drowned, I was angry and disgusted.”
Ms Sheedy broadcast her discovery on social media before contacting FishWatch, a 24-hour hotline phone line providing a quick and easy way to report sightings or evidence of aquatic pests and diseases, fish kills and illegal fishing.
Her social media posts caught the attention of Gosnells mayor Terresa Lynes, who said she was disgusted by the discovery.
“It’s quite tragic that someone would leave traps there and kill native wildlife,” she said.
“it’s illegal to fish in local government waterways, let alone with a net that is illegal in WA.
“We reported the incident the Department of Biosecurity, Conservation and Attractions [DBCA] as well as the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development [DPIRD] and our environment team have stepped up patrols, and they actually discovered another trap.
“The traps have been disposed of.
“There’s a few different messages I’d like to send to the people setting these nets, some of them I can’t say, but I will say it’s disgraceful and irresponsible.”
A DPIRD spokesperson confirmed the nets were illegal in WA.
“In line with DPIRD’s ‘Don’t Get Caught in a Trap’ campaign, recreational fish traps are illegal to use in State waters due to their ongoing threat to our native wildlife, especially if lost or abandoned,” they said.
“While it is legal to fish for marron in the Canning River during the marron season, fishers must be licensed, use allowed fishing gear only and abide by all the rules.
“In this case, the illegal fish traps were reportedly found on January 7, and the marron season was not due to begin until noon on January 8.”.
A DBCA confirmed the turtles were Oblong Turtles, native to freshwater systems throughout the South-west.
They are not currently listed as a threatened species.
Penalties apply for the illegal killing or injuring of native fauna, including a fine of up to $50,000.
