A morning call to the 24 hour reporting line 13FISH (13 3474) quickly proved costly for a man caught with 16 undersized snapper at the Griffiths Gully jetty in Geelong recently.
Senior Fisheries Officer Dave Burgess said a member of the public made the call to report that a male fishing from the jetty was catching and keeping what were believed to be undersized snapper.
“The caller provided fisheries officers with detailed information about the alleged offence, which was occurring at the time,” Mr Burgess said.
Fisheries officers from Geelong attended the area a short time later and inspected the man’s catch.
“He was found to be in possession of 16 snapper that were less the legal minimum length of 28 centimetres for Victorian waters.
“He was also not the holder of a Recreational Fishing Licence.”
As a result the man will receive three Infringement Notices for exceeding the catch limit, taking undersized fish and fishing without a current Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Fisheries Victoria encourages members of the public to report illegal fishing activity as soon as possible to 13FISH (13 3474).
Geelong fisheries officers are currently targeting anglers who are ignoring the catch and size limits for snapper with 12 people being fined in the last week.
Mr Burgess said fishers should familiarise themselves with the regulations before heading out fishing to avoid hefty penalties.
"Persons found possessing more than their catch limit of fish face penalties up to $2400.”
Anyone who sees or suspects illegal fishing activity is urged to call 13FISH.
Links
- Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide: www.dpi.vic.gov.au/fisheries/recreational-fishing/recreational-fishing-guide
