Sweetwater Fishing Forums
General Category => News Views & Press Releases => Topic started by: Editor on February 17, 2012, 11:08:33 PM
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Victoria DPI - Media release: 17 February 12
Public urged to help protect their yabby fishery
Senior Fisheries Officer Murray Burns with an Opera House net which is illegal in public waters.
Fisheries Officers in the Wimmera are concerned with the recent incidents involving the illegal use of Opera House nets or yabby pots.
Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Senior Fisheries Officer Murray Burns said Opera House nets had the ability to catch and kill unintended by-catch such as turtles, platypus and native water rats.
“To date the detection of this type of illegal equipment has been limited, but as some of the more isolated, small waters are starting to produce good yabbies, this trend it starting to change,” Mr Burns said.
Mr Burns said in the first case, two people were found at a West Wimmera lake using 16 Opera House nets in public waters in addition to their legal yabby recreational hoop net entitlement.
“In the second incident a person was found using six Opera House nets in public waters, as well as the allowable number of recreational hoop nets,” he said.
“The people involved in both these incidents will be issued with Fisheries Infringement Notices, which for these three offenders will collectively exceed $2500.
“Opera House nets are used by certain individuals in public waters. In these instances the offenders were using a significant number of nets illegally and potentially providing a considerable risk to native flora and fauna.
“Yabbying is very much a family-orientated activity enjoyed by a broad range of age groups and is relatively cheap to participate in,” he said.
Fisheries Victorian Director of Education and Enforcement Michael Hodder said yabbies were a community resource and DPI had strict bag limits and gear restrictions in place.
“The use or possession of Opera House nets is prohibited in, on or next to Victorian public waters. They are classified as commercial fishing equipment and can only be used in private waters such as farm dams,” he said.
If you see Opera House nets being used in public waters report it to 13FISH Offence Reporting Line. For more information about yabbies and fishing regulations go to www. .dpi.vic.gov.au/fisheries.
Note- Be sure to check regulations in your area, as rules vary from state to state in Australia. Editor