Fisherman is fined for catching oversized fish and trying to keep it

A fisherman has been fined for trying to take home a ‘monster’ fish despite it being well over the weight and length . 

Victorian Fisheries Authority officers were called out to a river in Swan Hill, in the state’s north west, after they received a tip-off someone was fishing illegally.  

When they arrived at the location, the officer found two vehicles with boats in tow parked next to one another on the riverbank.

While speaking to a man at the back of one of the boats, officers saw another man try to dump an oversized fish into the river without being noticed.

‘The man was questioned and admitted he’d caught the cod earlier that morning, and knew it was oversize,’ the Victorian Fisheries Authority said in a statement.

The massive Murray cod measured 93cm in length and weighed a whopping 17kgs.  

According to the authority, the fisherman was then slapped with a $484 fine for possessing Murray cod larger than the maximum size.

The authority posted a photo of the massive fish on their Facebook page on Friday, along with a gentle reminder about the restrictions when fishing for Murray cod.  

‘Anglers are reminded that Murray cod need to be between 55 and 75cm to be harvested,’ the accompanying caption stated. 

The post has garnered thousands of reactions from Facebook users, with some people taking to the platform to comment of the gigantic fish and the fisherman. 

‘Soft penalty for someone who was trying to escape by dumping the catch … should see a fine for that too!’ one person wrote.

Victorian Fisheries Authority officers were called out to a river in Swan Hill (pictured), in the state’s north west, after they received a tip-off someone was fishing illegally

According to the Victorian Fisheries Authority website, bag and possession limits for Murray cod (pictured) are one fish per day in rivers, with a limit of five statewide

‘Good job boys!! So sad to see these beautiful creatures killed by anglers that don’t respect this amazing Aussie icon!’ another person said. 

A third person added: ‘These fishermen will be the same ones whinging in years to come when there are no fish to catch and wonder why!’

According to the Victorian Fisheries Authority website, bag and possession limits for Murray cod are one fish per day in rivers, with a limit of five statewide. 

Hundreds of thousands of fish were earlier this year killed by algae blooms along a 40-kilometre stretch of the Murray Darling River

The river limit was reduced from two to one fish in 2014 in an attempt to improve the species sustainability and fishing opportunities for anglers in the long-term. 

The massive catch comes after almost a million fish were killed in the Murray Darling Basin at the start of the year.

Algae blooms caused by severe drought depleted otherwise healthy rivers of oxygen causing fish to suffocate.

Pictures of dead fish sparked mass outrage aimed at the state government, who were accused of doing nothing to prevent the disaster from taking place.