A Glenroy man has received fines of more than $1000 after officers caught him red-handed with a fishy haul in Geelong.
The 65-year-old appeared in Geelong Magistrates’ Court recently on charges of taking undersize fish.
Victorian Fisheries Authority officers caught him with eight undersized snapper and one undersized bream, ranging from 19.8 to 25.9 cm, regional manager David Burgess said.
The minimum size for snapper and bream in Victoria is 28cm.
“After he was interviewed the man returned to fishing and was later inspected again, and found in possession of another undersize snapper,” Mr Burgess said.
The Court heard the man had 10 previous offences relating to under-size fish and other fisheries offences stretching back to 2008.
The authority requested the presiding magistrate impose a prohibition order on the man to stop him from fishing as part of its submission to court.
The magistrate fined the man $1,000 and $193 after he pleaded guilty and prohibited him from recreational fishing for two months.But much to their surprise fisheries officers allegedly caught the man fishing the next day at Cunningham Pier, Mr Burgess said.
They seized the man’s fishing rods and charged him on summons in relation to breaching a prohibition order under the Fisheries Act.
“It is disappointing to see some people have such disregard for the state’s fishing rules, which are in place to ensure our fisheries are managed sustainably,” Mr Burgess said.
He urged anyone with information on illegal fishing to phone 13FISH (13 34 74).
