Two men found guilty and fined after being caught with 79 times the legal bag limit of cockles

Two Ulladulla men have been ordered to pay more than $12,000 in fines and court costs, after being found guilty of several fisheries related offences.

The 53 and 54 year old men appeared in the Nowra Local Court on Wednesday (19th Sept). 

The court heard that the pair was apprehended by DPI fisheries officers while leaving Tullarwalla Lagoon, St Georges Basin, on 20th October 2005.

When stopped, they were found to be in possession of 3960 cockles, which were all returned to the water.   

The legal daily bag limit for cockles is 50 per person, which means the pair was each in possession of nearly 40 times the legal limit.

The court found the 54 year old guilty of unlicensed commercial fishing and fined him $4000 in addition to ordering him to pay witness costs of $3723 plus $70 court costs.

His 53 year old accomplice was found guilty of being in possession of more than the maximum quantity of fish and fined $2000. He was also ordered to pay witness costs of $2287 and court costs of $70.

Bag and size limits are in place to ensure the long term sustainability of the resource so it can be enjoyed by all fishers now and in the future.

St Georges Basin is a Recreational Fishing Haven (RFH) and closed to all forms of commercial fishing.

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