Illegal cray trap leads to charges

A fish trap used to catch crayfish was found in the Murray River by officers, who then started a covert surveillance operation.

The department’s acting director fisheries compliance Tony Andrews said the trap was found next to private property upstream from Corowa.

“An extended surveillance operation was undertaken by the fisheries officers to identify the owners of the trap,” Mr Andrews said.

“It is alleged that after checking the trap, the two men tried to evade fisheries officers by discarding what is believed to be in excess of 15 Murray crayfish, together with the fish trap, into the river before driving away in a vehicle.”

Mr Andrews said the men were later stopped and interviewed by officers from both NSW and Victoria.

They searched a property at Rutherglen and seized 13 gill nets.

“Both men will face court charged with unlawful use of a fish trap and possessing fish ill-egally taken, and one of the men will face a charge of obstructing a fisheries officer in the course of his duties,” Mr Andrews said.

He said the use of illegal fishing gear such as set lines, fish traps and gill nets showed a total disregard for the laws in place to protect native fish populations.

“It has been illegal to use fish traps and gill nets in NSW inland waters for many years as they exert excess fishing pressure on fish populations and frequently trap protected fauna such as turtles, water rats, platypus and water birds,” Mr Andrews said.

“It is disappointing to see illegal gear being used to target our native fish species such as Murray crayfish, which have been listed as a threatened species.

“People who make the conscious decision to engage in this type of illegal fishing activity are warned that fisheries officers patrol any day of the week and at any time of the day or night.

“We will continue to target the use of illegal gear and bring offenders before the courts.”