Fish haul to lead to charges
January 13, 2011

THREE men will be charged with illegally netting a huge haul of fish from Port Phillip Bay.

Fisheries officers found 832 fish in two vehicles intercepted on the Nepean Highway in Carrum and Edithvale in Melbourne's south-east on Monday morning.

They alleged 709 fish captured in an illegal net off Carrum were under size.
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None of the fish, which included black bream (right), Australian salmon, yellow-eye mullet, garfish and flounder, could be returned to the sea.

Fisheries officers will allege a 37-year-old Hallam man had 219 fish in a nylon bag in his car.

Two men in a second car, a 58-year-old from Eltham North and a 43-year-old from Coburg, had 613 fish and a 50-metre net, which was seized. One of the cars was also seized.

Senior Fisheries Officer Dave Green said: ''To have such a large quantity of under-size fish killed can be devastating to the sustainability of any ecosystem.''

The trio will be charged on summons with using commercial fishing equipment without authority, an offence that can attract a maximum penalty of $10,000 and six months' jail.

Anyone who suspects or sees illegal fishing activity should call a 24-hour reporting line on 133 474.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/fish- ... 19o97.html

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All i can say is F*%k wits.
whats the point?

Hope they get the Max penalty

It would be nice for once if pricks like these were made an example of....it's just bullshit how anyone can do this and how long have they been getting away with it!!

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imo, the fine should be the total value of the fish + the $10,000
i know its a stretch, but im sure people think its worth the risk if they are taking in excess of $10,000 worth of fish.