Outrage over fisherman’s ‘pathetic’ punishment for killing iconic blue groper in Cronulla

A Sydney spearfisherman has been fined after killing a beloved blue groper named ‘Gus’ – but locals feel the “pathetic” punishment will do little to stop others.

A spearfisherman has been fined $800 after killing a beloved blue groper named ‘Gus’ – but locals feel the “pathetic” punishment will do little to stop future killings.

The young man, who posed for a picture with the slain fish, was fined $500 after a police investigation shortly before the New Year.

Residents from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire had led a charge for a penalty, left devastated by the spearing of Gus – who had frequented the area for roughly 40 years – and another sizeable local groper months earlier.

The 26-year-old was charged by police shortly after spearing the decades-old Gus near the Oak Park rock pool in Cronulla – which is a no-spearfishing zone – on December 30.

A spearfisherman in New South Wales was fined $500 by the police and an additional $300 by NSW Fisheries for killing a beloved blue groper named ‘Gus’ in a no-spearfishing zone near Oak Park rock pool in Cronulla.

However, NSW Fisheries have since stacked on a further $300 in fines for the fisherman.

A spokesperson from the Department of Primary Industries told news.com.au on Monday that the man showed remorse when confronted by fisheries officers and was a first-time offender.

“The Person of Interest showed significant remorse for their actions during the interview with NSW Fisheries Officers. It was the Person of Interest’s first Fisheries offence,” a spokesperson said.

“Fisheries Officers also took the time to provide the Person of Interest with education and awareness material to ensure that they know and understand the rules of spearfishing”.

Fisheries say the 26-year-old, a first-time offender, showed remorse during the investigation and received education and awareness material from fisheries officers about spearfishing rules.

Locals were left heartbroken after hearing that the well-known fish, popular with snorkellers and swimmers due to its friendly and inquisitive nature, had been caught and killed.

With the investigation seemingly over, Sutherland Shire resident Tenille Piek, whose parents witnessed the incident and often dives the area herself as part of a club, said locals felt short-changed.

She told news.com.au the department’s decision to issue a $300 penalty of the $11,000 available to them needed to be more of a deterrent.

“$800 is pathetic – $800 is a lot of money for an individual, but in terms of deterring the same act, I don’t think that will achieve that – I really don’t think this fine has achieved anything.

Oak Park. Locals criticised the total $800 fine as ‘pathetic’ and insufficient as a deterrent, considering the fisherman’s likely awareness of the rules. Picture: Instagram @neenzzee

She said in lieu of significant deterrent and preventive measures stopping the killings, locals were filling the void by becoming more vigilant.

“Everyone is a bit outraged and baffled about how they came to that conclusion,” she said.

“Everyone’s still really on edge.”

Ms Piek added the fisherman should have had full knowledge of what he could and couldn’t do, given he would have likely applied for a recreational licence.

“I don’t know how fisheries came up with $300,” she said.

Ms Piek spoke to news.com.au soon after Gus was killed.

“Blue gropers are the ‘Labradors of the Sea’,” she explained.

“They are tame and curious creatures, making them extremely vulnerable to spearfishing.”

She said locals on the shore frolicking nearby were “shocked and outraged” as the fisherman pulled Gus from the water, gleefully posing for pictures.

The blue groper, known for being non-aggressive and unfazed by humans, has been the official fish of New South Wales since 1996 and is protected by law from spearfishing and commercial enterprise.

Gus’s killing marks the second reported incident in the area in 2023 with this fisherman snapped in May.

Blue gropers can only legally be taken by line in NSW, but huge penalties of $22,000 and prison time are in place for breaches of bag limits, while a maximum fine of $11,000 is in place for taking a groper by an unlawful method, such as spearfishing.

Gus’ killing was the Shire’s second such reported event in 2023 after another giant blue groper was allegedly killed in May in similar circumstances at Hungry Point, another no-spearfishing zone less than a kilometre away from Oak Park.

In that instance, the unknown spearfisherman also posed for a photograph with his allegedly illicit catch as he brought it ashore on that occasion.

News.com.au understands that The Department of Primary Industries ramped up its response with additional signage after the May incident, though locals claim it has yet to do much.