Man to be charged for illegal abalone haul

Fisheries officers inspect illegal abalone catch © Victorian Fisheries Authority

The Victorian Fisheries Authority will charge a man suspected of a large illegal abalone haul in Brighton.

The individual was apprehended by Fisheries Officers in Greens Point and will be charged on summons with a variety of offences including taking undersize abalone, exceeding the catch limit and possessing a commercial quantity of abalone.

The individual was found to have caught more than 460 abalone, 92 times over than the daily bag limit which is 5 abalone per person. 420 of the caught fish were also under the legal minimum size of 10cm.

Fisheries Officers returned all the caught abalone to the water.

Victorian Fisheries Authority Director of Enforcement and Education Ian Parks said two officers were patrolling the intertidal zone one evening when they allegedly observed a man with a speargun continuously diving offshore.

"Additional Fisheries Officers were called to assist with the apprehension of the man before officers on the scene allegedly saw the man remove a large catch bag from the shallows," Mr Parks said.

"The man proceeded to allegedly place the large catch bag of abalone into the boot of his Toyota and was intercepted as he attempted to leave the car park."

This apprehension follows another at Greens Point on New Year's Eve when Fisheries Officers discovered four men who had allegedly harvested 311 abalone, 276 of which were undersize.

If you see or suspect illegal fishing, call our 24/7 reporting service, 13FISH (133474), to speak directly to a Fisheries Officer. You can remain anonymous. Make the call and make the difference.