▲TopFour Dubbo men fined for fishing offences

Four Dubbo men, aged between 27 and 39, have been fined a total of $1600 after they were caught committing a number of fishing offences on the Macquarie River.

Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Manager Fisheries Compliance, Glenn Tritton, said the men were caught during a routine patrol of the Macquarie River near Dubbo on December 28th 2006.

“The group was found to be in possession of a prohibited size Murray Cod and about 50 set lines. They were also using live finfish for bait, fishing without having a recreational fishing licence and failing to mark set fishing gear with their name and address.

“Fishers may only use four setlines and one attended line in those waters and live finfish cannot be used as bait in any inland waterways in NSW,” Mr Tritton said.

“The legal size limit for Murray Cod is 50 centimetres, the seized fish was measured at 46 centimetres and subsequently returned live to the water.

“Size limits allow fish to reach maturity and complete their breeding cycle.

“Bag and size limits are in place to help ensure healthy and sustainable fisheries for future generations, so it’s vital that fishers adhere to the rules when wetting a line,” Mr Tritton said.

Anyone with information on illegal fishing activity should contact their local DPI Fisheries office or call the fishers watch hotline on 1800 043 536.

Details on the recreational fishing fee and bag and size limits can be found at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries (www.dpi.nsw.gov.au).