Last-home snapper fishers busted over bag limit breach

The men were detected after they were the last boat back to the ramp on Monday night. Victorian Fisheries Authority officers allege the men were found with 55 snapper – well in excess of the bag limit of 10 per person with no more than three measuring 40cm or more – of which 27 were undersize.

“Following interviews, the boat, fish and fishing gear were seized by officers and the two men will face court charged with taking more than the catch limit and taking undersize fish,” the VFA said.

It said the master of the vessel would also be charged with maritime safety offences.

The offences come in the wake of five arrests relating to a “highly organised” illegal fishing syndicate targeting blacklip abalone.

Police and fisheries officers raided a Holden Commodore at Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula and found 315 abalone.

“Officers observed four of the men walk from a Cape Schanck car park down to the rocks, leaving one of the men at the car park as a lookout,” VFA education and enforcement director Ian Parks said.

“Of the four men on the rocks, three entered the water for several hours to dive for abalone and the fourth stayed as another lookout.

“When the four men returned to their Commodore and allegedly put a large bag of abalone in the boot, fisheries officers swooped in numbers,” Parks said.

“All five of the alleged offenders ran away, some not making it far and others hiding in dense scrub nearby until being located and arrested.”

Based on earlier surveillance, another two bags containing 84 abalone were found in the water.

Of the 399 abalone recovered, 263 were undersize.