SNAPPER season is seeing large numbers of fishers flocking to Port Phillip to enjoy Victoria’s most popular fishery.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority says it has received numerous reports via the 13 FISH reporting hotline of illegal fishing in the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, near Beaumaris. The boundaries of this marine park are clearly marked with yellow or green boundary posts.
Fisheries officers have responded by patrolling this area using both marked and unmarked boats and jet-skis and a large number of infringement notices have been issued. Infringements related to taking fish and using fishing equipment in a marine sanctuary.
Investigations are also continuing to identify further possible offending by boaters that left the marine protected area prior to officers being able to speak with them.
The VFA says its Vic Fishing app features a “Can I Fish Here?” function, which uses your phone’s GPS location to determine whether you are within a marine park or sanctuary.
The app also contains a digital copy of the recreational fishing guide, so you can stay across bag and catch limits whenever and wherever you’re fishing. The app can be downloaded free from the App Store or Google Play.
