A man has been fined a whopping $100, lost his truck, his boat and his ability to fish for five years after authorities caught him with nearly two dozen endangered fish.
The Melbourne man, in his 60s, was found with a friend on Lake Hume in north-east Victoria with 22 golden perch in their boat and 200 abalone at one of their houses in 2023.
Both men pleaded guilty to illegal fishing charges in early September.
The man in his 60s was fined $20,000, banned from fishing in the state for five years and had his truck confiscated.
His fishing partner was fined $850 and the couple also had their fishing gear and the 17-foot boat they were in at the time confiscated.
The bag limit for golden perch in Victoria is five per person and the possession limit for abalone in the state is ten per person at any one time.
The men were discovered by Victorian fisheries authorities while they were still in their boat fishing on the lake.
Officers later searched their homes and found all the abalone meat on one of the properties.
A man has been fined $20,000 and $850 and both had their fishing equipment confiscated after authorities caught them illegally fishing in Victoria’s Lake Hume in 2023.
The pair were found with 22 golden perch fish even though the maximum bag for each angler was only five.
Both men initially told officers they had caught only 10 golden perch.according to Victoria’s acting director of fisheries education and enforcement, Paul Shea.
“However, further investigation revealed an additional 12 golden perch hidden beneath the boat floor, making a total of 22 golden perch ranging in size from 39cm to almost 60cm,” Shea said.
‘The officers confiscated his 5.1-metre-long boat on site, along with his fishing gear and the fish.’
Mr. Shea said it was important that the men were punished so the state could… Maintain sustainable fishing.
After authorities searched their homes, 200 abalone meats were found, breaking Victoria’s strict possession limit of 10 per person at any one time.