Trent Wayne Brown: Fisherman dubbed ‘un-Australian’ for taking 22 rock lobster from pots in Drummonds

A Geraldton magistrate has described a young man taking 22 rock lobsters from another person’s pot in Drummond Cove as “un-Australian”. The 22-year-old fisherman was fined $2150 and given a two-month ban from fishing for lobster and from being on a recreational boat after admitting to pinching the species from a stranger’s pots and misleading Fisheries officers. Trent Wayne Brown appeared in Geraldton Magistrates Court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to removing fish from gear without being the owner and stating false or misleading information to a Fisheries officer. A third charge of being a person exceeding the boat possession limit by less than twice the possession limit was discontinued. The court was told Brown went boating with a co-accused who operated four rock lobster pots about two nautical miles west of Drummond Cove on December 13, 2022. To retain his bag limit, Brown took 22 rock lobsters from two pots nearby that didn’t belong to either of the men. When Brown was questioned by Fisheries officers, he told them he had permission from a friend to use the pots but investigations revealed he lied and took the lobster illegally. A prosecutor from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) requested the court ban Brown from holding a rock lobster license and being on any recreational vessel for 12 months. Magistrate Matthew Walton asked Brown to describe his circumstances, questioning if he was a “keen fisherman” and what he did for work. Brown said he previously worked as a lobster fisherman but now worked at the mines in Newman and was paying off personal loans. “I’m extremely remorseful,” Brown said. “Obviously it happened over a year ago so I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on it. It’s not something I would do in the future.” The magistrate told Brown it was “un-Australian” to take someone else’s lobster. “It’s a little un-Australian isn’t it, to take someone else’s lobster,” Mr Walton said. Mr Walton suspended Brown from holding a license and being on any recreational vessel for two months and imposed a total fine of $2150 plus prosecution costs.