Three individuals have been formally charged following a malodorous incident where approximately 200 kilograms of deceased shark heads were discarded at the office of Western Australia’s Fisheries Minister, Jackie Jarvis.
The accused are facing charges of trespassing and littering after the unsettling discovery in Margaret River, located roughly 270 kilometers south of Perth.
Their alleged actions are thought to have been in protest against the State Government’s contentious ban on fishing.
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Earlier in December, the minister declared an 18-month prohibition on recreational fishing and an indefinite halt on commercial fishing for all demersal species, commonly referred to as groundfish.
These stringent measures were introduced to help protect threatened species, including the much-loved pink snapper, red emperor, and dhufish.
“They’re tough and people are upset but this is the right thing to do sustain the industry and to sustain recreational fisheries,” WA Police Minister Reece Whitby said.
They’re all due to appear in Bunbury Magistrates Court on January 22.
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