Undersized fish taken, what to do

[smc2010]

I'm not here to stir any pots but today I noticed a man fishing and he caught a few fish beside me which appeared to be bream and most definitely undersized and they did not make it back into water. Now i find it hard enough as it is to go out and catch a few legal ones without someone lobbing the small ones in a bucket to take home. Without actually confronting him and starting an argument as I'm easy going and don't like confrontation, what should I do to stop this?? 

Edited February 6, 2017 by smc2010

[dirvin21]

you can ask him if he's aware the fish are undersize, I've had similar situations many times over the years and 90% of the time the person claims to have no idea the fish are undersized a lot of people buy a rod and a fishing license and don't actually know the rules and its up to all of us to help educate them.

make sure your polite about it if you approach as if your looking for an argument you will generally find one

 

[Scratchie]

Place a call to fisheries. There a number on this site somewhere! 

Cheers scratchie!!! 

[JonD]

The limited amount of fisheries officers are often out trying to catch bigger fish so to speak. You can make it known to local police as they are also able to check and fine people. I fish with a local cop who moved down here from the central coast where he wrote up $32000 in illegal fishing fines, with him it doesn't matter what size colour or nationality they are and if they get lippy they spend the night in a cell.

Jon

[Raymondo]

I feel very strongly about this issue. As I've just been chipped by Scratchie in another thread for voicing my opinion , I choose my words carefully. So here go's.  If you don't have the fortitude to speak up then your part of the problem. These people do this because most turn a blind eye . Confront them , make them feel uncomfortable. I commend you for wanting to do something , but the offender is long gone and the damage has been done. Voice your opinion then and there, then report it to the authoritys. Think of this, you spot a small fire , your capable of putting it out, you don't, you leave and call for help. Fire brigade arrives but it's to late, its out of control. You, as a member of society have the authority to speak up. Try it, you will feel better for it.

[Scratchie]

2 hours ago, Raymondo said:

As I've just been chipped by Scratchie in another thread for voicing my opinion , I choose my words carefully. So here go's.

Wise move!

And I disagree with your post! I do not think they we are part of the problem if we choose to say nothing. We are not the law! Your comparison to a fire is also a false analogy. Someone keeping an undersized or illegal fish is not a life threatening situation as fire! 

Just saying!

cheers scratchie!!! 

[savit]

11 hours ago, dirvin21 said:

you can ask him if he's aware the fish are undersize, I've had similar situations many times over the years and 90% of the time the person claims to have no idea the fish are undersized a lot of people buy a rod and a fishing license and don't actually know the rules and its up to all of us to help educate them.

make sure your polite about it if you approach as if your looking for an argument you will generally find one

 

Yes, I agree, I saw it many times too. They are just keep telling that  they are not 100% sure what the fish is (even sometimes it is protected or threatened species) or they are not aware about legal size limit and just continue to keep this undersized fish and next one particularly if you are very polite with them.

And, usually they are enough educated to understand that you can not apply physical force to them without consequences and that the fisheries officers are as rare as snow on the beach in this fishing spot after hours.   

 

[Blairy]

Ring the fisheries if no joy ring the police - but say something and if he gets angry then you have already notified the police - I am passionate myself and a few years ago after mentioning politely to an older Italian gentleman at a wharf in San Souci that the 40 bream he had were under size and he should return them while they are still alive. He reacted badly and told me to F - off or he would stick me with his knife - his fished end up back in the water and he followed, apparently he could not swim but managed to get back to shore.

I suggest you don't  do that I have learnt my lesson to make it hurt in the back pocket - it s the only way.

 

 

 

[The Incredible Hull]

1 hour ago, Scratchie said:

Wise move!

And I disagree with your post! I do not think they we are part of the problem if we choose to say nothing. We are not the law! Your comparison to a fire is also a false analogy. Someone keeping an undersized or illegal fish is not a life threatening situation as fire! 

Just saying!

cheers scratchie!!! 

I'm with Scratchie. I hate confrontation, and even worse I hate violent irrational people. I have a family to go home to, why would I want to get involved in something which I have no authority over.

If you want to confront them fine, you may as well confront the millions of dickhead hoons on our roads tailing gating and weaving dangerously and road raging on others.

[jeffb5.8]

4 hours ago, Raymondo said:

I feel very strongly about this issue. As I've just been chipped by Scratchie in another thread for voicing my opinion , I choose my words carefully. So here go's.  If you don't have the fortitude to speak up then your part of the problem. These people do this because most turn a blind eye . Confront them , make them feel uncomfortable. I commend you for wanting to do something , but the offender is long gone and the damage has been done. Voice your opinion then and there, then report it to the authoritys. Think of this, you spot a small fire , your capable of putting it out, you don't, you leave and call for help. Fire brigade arrives but it's to late, its out of control. You, as a member of society have the authority to speak up. Try it, you will feel better for it.

While I get your point the main difference is a Fire will not physically abuse you for puttting it out, the fire won't stab you, the fire won't follow you to you car.

some people cannot do confrontation, I'm a big fella and I still avoid confrontation, I usually have 3 kids nearby and while I might have a polite suggestion they let the fish go, if it gets heated it can only go 2 ways, 

1.i walk away and notify the authorities , tell the story on fish raider and continue life

2. It turns physical and one of us ends up hurt or worse and the other faces the penalty. Both lives disrupted 

i say follow the rules report it and let the authorities deal with it.

if you know what vehicle they arrived in give that to the Fisheries as well helps track the offender.

P.s then I explain to my kids the importance of not keeping undersized fish and what the fisheries guys will do.

 

Edited February 7, 2017 by jeffb5.8

[Short]

Slight tangent - there is a smartphone fishing app going around at the moment where people post photos of catches etc, the frequency of under size fish posted is pretty scary. Some people put up a photo of around 25 flathead, some would have been less than 15cm and the biggest barely legal. 35cm kingies posted up no worries with the people happy about it, 5 x juvenile snapper all well under 25cm. It happens at least daily on this app, fisheries should really get on to it and track people some how. Their user profiles would be linked to email addresses and could be EXIF data from the images to narrow the search down.

The fact that these people are doing this regularly and then bragging about their catch is pretty scary, they either have no idea of the bag limits or don't care.

[Raymondo]

4 hours ago, Scratchie said:

Wise move!

And I disagree with your post! I do not think they we are part of the problem if we choose to say nothing. We are not the law! Your comparison to a fire is also a false analogy. Someone keeping an undersized or illegal fish is not a life threatening situation as fire! 

Just saying!

cheers scratchie!!! 

I also think my analogy is relevant ie - small manageable problem manifests into a large unmanageable problem due to the lack of immediate action. Further more any member of society has the right to enforce current laws, as society is responsible for the laws existence. So in effect we are the law.

Make no mistake I don't condone violence as some have eluded to. Confronting an individual need not be unpleasant. Law enforcement / security professionals do it every day without incident . As I've already stated I have strong beliefs on this subject, I also don't expect everyone to agree. I just wish more people possessed the inner strength to act on there beliefs in a more immediate manner.

[Flickn Mad]

Hey fellas, it's a tricky subject and I find myself with foot in both camps.

in my younger years I thrived on conflict, may have had something to do with the sports I was involved in. Now being a responsible husband and parent I have to think twice about challenging the big drunk yobbo on the wharf with the undersized fish.

My suggestion would be to approach any one with undersized fish with a smile, hey mate you got a few fish good onya. Do you recon they make the size limit. 

If they are happy to have a conversation great. If they get the shits just say, no worries mate it's your descission hope you get some good ones. 

 

Then you can walk away and call fisheries.

 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Flickn Mad
Typo

[Fab1]

Unfortunately with the ever increasing population,boats,anglers and fewer fish,the problem will only get worse.

    I understand where Raymondo is coming from in regards to people not getting involved not just with the taking of undersized fish but in society as a whole.

  I ask this,Do you help the man being bullied by thugs on the train?

Do you interfere when your neighbours being robbed?

Do you catch and hand over the man robbing your workplace and hand him to the police?

I've done all three without a second thought about self preservation or what consequences there may be because it's the right thing to do.

When that man being bullied on the train is your elderly father and the house and business being robbed is yours you may think differently also.

   We all need to wake up and realise that the world is the way it is because we as a society let it be by not getting involved.

    I can tell you that in all 3 scenarios I've shared that if I had just called the police,all four offenders (There where 2 robbing my neighbours)would have been long gone.

That's what I do and will continue to do so when I see wrong regardless and others can choose to either get involved or do nothing it's up to them.

 

[Guest Guest123456789]

Politely start a conversation with the offender, talk about fish size, point out his are undersize, explain why there are limits.  Do it in a way that's not patronising. If you do a good job of explaining why there are limits (is breeding, stocks etc) unless s/he is a selfish %%%%% they will release the fish themselves.

my boy is three, telling him to do something is much less effective than explaining why he should do something.

Plan B report his car number plate to fisheries. DONT start a fight or a confrontation no matter how tough you think you are, it's not worth it. You might be unlucky enough to come across an ice junkie who kills you. 

[Mullatt]

On 2/7/2017 at 8:44 PM, Flickn Mad said:

Hey fellas, it's a tricky subject and I find myself with foot in both camps.

in my younger years I thrived on conflict, may have had something to do with the sports I was involved in. Now being a responsible husband and parent I have to think twice about challenging the big drunk yobbo on the wharf with the undersized fish.

My suggestion would be to approach any one with undersized fish with a smile, hey mate you got a few fish good onya. Do you recon they make the size limit. 

If they are happy to have a conversation great. If they get the shits just say, no worries mate it's your descission hope you get some good ones. 

 

Then you can walk away and call fisheries.

 

Agree completely with the politely ask the person and back off if aggression seems apparent. Ring fisheries and/or police next.

Oh, and from my many experiences over the years, when the offender claims innocence, no knowledge etc.....most of the time thats absolute garbage. "They" know exactly what they are doing!

 

Edited February 12, 2017 by Mullatt
hit enter too quixk

[smc2010]

On 07/02/2017 at 8:44 PM, Flickn Mad said:

Hey fellas, it's a tricky subject and I find myself with foot in both camps.

in my younger years I thrived on conflict, may have had something to do with the sports I was involved in. Now being a responsible husband and parent I have to think twice about challenging the big drunk yobbo on the wharf with the undersized fish.

My suggestion would be to approach any one with undersized fish with a smile, hey mate you got a few fish good onya. Do you recon they make the size limit. 

If they are happy to have a conversation great. If they get the shits just say, no worries mate it's your descission hope you get some good ones. 

 

Then you can walk away and call fisheries.

 

My opinion this is the best answer. I personally would try avoid conversation as it is a bit shady a young fella, the only person who spoke to him comes over snooping around and he's greeted with a nice visit from fisheries haha and as for calling cops I wouldn't do that for a number of reasons, yes there breaking the law but, the fisheries would have have a bigger part to enforce this. Also I believe the cops can sometimes abuse there power and getting cops involved can bring unnecessary hassle.Thanks all for your advice I think a quiet call to the fisheries is probably the easiest and safest.

Sean.

 

On 07/02/2017 at 8:07 AM, JonD said:

The limited amount of fisheries officers are often out trying to catch bigger fish so to speak. You can make it known to local police as they are also able to check and fine people. I fish with a local cop who moved down here from the central coast where he wrote up $32000 in illegal fishing fines, with him it doesn't matter what size colour or nationality they are and if they get lippy they spend the night in a cell.

Jon