Angler’s horror as he finds FOUR dead platypuses trapped inside an illegal fishing net
- Daniel Campbell, 27, made the shocking discovery while fishing on Saturday
- He had been fishing with his partner along the Shoalhaven River in NSW
- After seeing rope in the water, he pulled it up to find the grisly discovery in a net
- All four platypuses had been deliberately drowned in an illegal opera house net
- WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT BELOW
An angler has spoken of his shock after finding four dead platypuses who had become trapped inside an illegal fishing net.
Daniel Campbell, 27, was exploring bushland for new fishing spots in Farringdown, near Wollongong, NSW, on Saturday when he saw tangled rope in the Shoalhaven River.
Curious to see what it was, Mr Campbell then waded into the river to pull out the submerged net – but was horrified to find the four dead mammals at the bottom.
They had become trapped inside an opera house net, which trap underwater animals such as platypuses, turtles and sea rates so they drown.
An angler has spoken of his shock after finding four dead platypuses who had become trapped inside an illegal fishing net
‘The moment I pulled the net out of the water, you could just smell it,’ he told Yahoo News.
‘It just stunk like road kill to be honest.
Not wanting his partner to see what was inside, Mr Campbell shielded her view as her brought the net back to the bank.
Tipping it out, he was horrified to see three more dead platypuses tumble out.
‘It was a pretty shocking find,’ he said.
The platypuses were located after Mr Campbell saw some rope in the water along Shoalhaven River (pictured)
Mr Campbell believes the illegal opera house fishing net had been in the river for no more than three weeks as the bait was still fresh.
Geoff Williams, from Australian Platypus Conservancy, said that the find was significant given that platypuses do not gather in great numbers.
New South Wales permits opera house nets in certain areas, but they are generally banned from waters east of Newell Highway.
Victoria banned the deadly traps throughout the state in July.
Mr Campbell was fishing and exploring in Farringdown, near Wollongong in New South Wales (pictured)