Narrabeen fish poachers allegedly caught with 160m illegal net, hundreds of fish
A massive illegal fishing haul has been thwarted at a Sydney lagoon, where two men allegedly cast a net spanning nearly twice the length of a football field.
Brazen after dark fish poachers, who allegedly strung an illegal 160m long net across Narrabeen Lagoon, have been caught in the act thanks to an eagle-eyed young local.
Two men were snared by NSW Fisheries officers with more than 270 fish in their possession after their night time raid.
Authorities have alleged that as well as the illegal net, the men had caught and kept 34 undersized fish.
The men were nabbed after the young witness allegedly saw the two men setting a long monofilament net — a type of fishing net made from a single, unbroken strand of nylon — in the lagoon late on a Sunday night.
A quick call was made to Broken Bay Water Police at their office in Church Point.
The information was then relayed to a NSW Fisheries patrol, who were about 50kms away at the time.
But thanks to what NSW Fisheries described as the “quick thinking” of the “young northern beaches local” two men aged in their forties were caught by its officers.
The pair had allegedly used the large, 160m long illegal monofilament net to catch fish
“Two persons of interest were apprehended at their vehicle, in possession of a large quantity of fish,” NSW Fisheries said in a statement.
“Further investigations uncovered more fish, and a 160m monofilament net in the bush.”
More than 270 fish were discovered across a range of species including mullet, sand whiting, yellowfin bream, dusky flathead, silver biddies and luderick.
At least 34 of the fish were allegedly found to be of a prohibited size.
“NSW Fisheries Officers allege that the two men unlawfully used an illegal net, were in possession of fish that had been taken illegally, were in possession of species that were of prohibited size and possession of species that exceeded their possession limit,” according to the statement.
“Intelligence reports from the public are a valuable source of information for NSW Fisheries Officers, enabling them to effectively manage their resources as part of a risk-based approach to compliance.”
The actions of the young witness were praised by anglers who commented on a NSW Fisheries Facebook post.
“It affects everyone in the long run. If plenty of people did this then future stocks will be affected for all of us. Who seriously needs hundreds of fish,” a local commented.
“Let’s hope they get the harsh type of punishment the community expects from this kind of blatant disregard of the rules,” another local wrote.
NSW Fisheries conformed on Tuesday that investigations were continuing and that evidence would be considered before a decision about pursuing prosecution was made.
The men face a series of possible fines ranging from $500 for using the net, keeping undersized fish and exceeding fish possession limits.
More Coverage
Originally published as Narrabeen fish poachers allegedly caught with 160m illegal net, hundreds of fish
