Sweetwater Fishing Forums
General Category => News Views & Press Releases => Topic started by: Editor on December 16, 2014, 09:54:56 PM
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Back dating fishing licences doesn’t pay
11 December 2014 - Vic DEPI
A 30-year-old Maryborough man was fined $1200 and ordered to pay $206 costs in the Maryborough Magistrates Court today after pleading guilty to two offences under the Fisheries Act. No conviction was recorded.
Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) Senior Fisheries Officer Greg Brodie said the man pled guilty to fishing without a current recreational fishing licence and providing false and misleading information.
"During routine patrols of waterways, DEPI officers found the man fishing in the Loddon River at Laanecoorie in March this year.
"The man failed to produce a current fishing licence and was issued an on-the-spot $148 infringement notice.
"The man later sent a fishing licence and a plea letter to the Department claiming to have held a licence at the time of fishing in an attempt to have the $148 fine withdrawn.
"Further enquiries by DEPI fisheries officers found the man had the fishing licence backdated by a local business in an attempt to avoid paying the infringement notice.
"The man was later interviewed at the Maryborough Police station and was subsequently charged.
"A Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) costs just $24.50 and the offender would have saved a lot of money if he'd done the right thing in the first place.
"The practice of backdating licences is occurring more frequently in the region and it needs to be curtailed.
"The bottom line is that people who don't pay for a recreational fishing licence are robbing themselves and the community of funding that goes towards their recreational fishing future.
"The licence fees help ensure our fisheries are sustainable into the future and improve recreational fishing opportunities by investing in projects such as fish stocking, facilities, research and education.
"Under the Fisheries Act, people fishing without a current recreational fishing licence can face fines of up to $500.
"People providing false and misleading information can face fines of up to two years imprisonment or $24,000 or both."
Recreational fishing licences are available from local bait and tackle shops and online at:http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/fishing-and-hunting/recreational-fishing/fishing-licence
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Both he and the shop owner should have been charged with fraud.