October 31 - November 6, 2021: Issue 516

 

Abalone Poacher At Mona Vale Prosecuted In Manly Court + Applications Open To Refresh The Face Of Fishing Environments

NSW DPI photo.

Poacher At Mona Vale Prosecuted In Manly Court 

A strong warning has been sent to illegal abalone fishers after a man was fined $10,000 last week for exceeding the possession limit of abalone. 

A call to the Fishers Watch phoneline was all it took for local Fisheries Officers to apprehend the man, who was diving at Mona Vale. 

The man was in possession of 14 times the bag limit of 2 Abalone, being found with 28 Black-lip Abalone; 25 of these were under the prescribed size limit. 

He also had speared a Blue Groper, which can only be caught using a rod and line or handline in NSW. He was also not in immediate possession of his Recreational Fishing Licence. 


All the man’s catch, and equipment were seized by officers, including wetsuit, speargun, float, knives, weight belt, esky, mask and snorkel. 

On September 16th, the fisher was convicted in Manly Local Court and fined $10,000 for the abalone offences and $3000 for the blue groper offence under the Fisheries Management Act. 

This outcome sends a strong message to fishers who flout the rules, especially for high value species like abalone and for species like blue groper who have restrictions on the methods available to catch them for a reason.  

There is no excuse for not knowing and understanding the rules for recreational fishing in NSW with the FishSmart app downloadable for free from your App store and large amounts of information available on the NSW DPI Fisheries website, including the Saltwater and Freshwater Fishing Guides https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing.  

Fisheries Officers spend many hours on patrol, detecting and preventing illegal fishing. The apprehension of the individual was made possible by a very accurate information report provided by a local spearfisher. 

Everyone has a role in protecting fisheries in NSW, to help stop illegal fishing and to protect our aquatic habitats for present and future generations. 

The public is encouraged to report illegal or suspect illegal fishing activity to the Fishers Watch Phoneline on 1800 043 536, report it online via the submission form at https://fal.cn/3gJWh.

Applications Open To Refresh The Face Of Fishing Environments

October 28, 2021

Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has today opened applications for the Habitat Action Grants program, and encouraged passionate fishers to submit ideas to see local native fish habitats flourish.

“Fishers are obviously great at casting a line, and now I want them to cast out their ideas for the ever-popular Habitat Action Grants program,” Mr Marshall said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for anglers – who know their local waterways better than anyone – to apply for funding to improve local fish habitats.

“Every year we receive truly unique and positive applications from community organisations who conduct practical on-ground rehabilitation works, and I expect 2021 to be no exception.

“Projects funded under the program include everything from managing stock access to waterways and revegetating these areas with native plants, to reintroducing lost woody habitat into rivers and estuaries for fish.

“The best thing about these grants is they are ideas conceived and led by local communities, both on the coast and inland.

“Even better is that fishos will be able to see their fishing licence fees being put to good use – this is their money being reinvested into projects in their local area.”

Habitat Action Grants is funded from the Recreational Fishing Trusts, where all funds raised by the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is placed.

Mr Marshall encouraged recreational fishing groups, Landcare organisations, schools and local councils across the state to get their applications in before Friday, 10 December 2021 by visiting www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hag.

“There are seven weeks for local anglers and their clubs to get involved in improving habitats and fishing opportunities by getting their applications in,” Mr Marshall said.

Since 2008, the Recreational Fishing Trusts have invested more than $7.5 million into the Habitat Action Grants program throughout NSW. To find out more visit https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/habitat/rehabilitating/ahr-grants-program.