Picture: DPI Queensland

From top: trumpeter whiting, northern whiting, golden-lined whiting, summer whiting

A CARAVANNER faces a fine of up to $100,000 after being allegedly nabbed with hundreds of illegally caught fish in Queensland.

Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers armed with a search warrant reportedly seized 328 whiting when they swooped on the traveller's RV at a Townsville caravan park.

There is a legal combined limit of 30 for all whiting species except trumpeter whiting, which is 50.

''This alleged offence shows blatant disregard for the state's fishing rules, which are designed to protect our fisheries,'' Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said in a statement.

"The regulations ensure our fisheries are sustainable, yet here is one person who thinks it’s acceptable to take more than their fair share.

"It is not acceptable for anyone to ignore Queensland’s fishing rules and regulations and this should be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can get away with it. I won’t tolerate people who deliberately disregard the rules and the community won’t tolerate it either."

The Minister encouraged anyone suspecting people of breaking the law to contact the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116, promising that every complaint would be investigated.

He said Queensland’s bag limits allowed fishers to take a "reasonable" amount of fish without impacting fish stocks.

"More than 700,000 people fish each year in Queensland and the majority of them adhere to the rules," Mr Mulherin said.

Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers last year carried out 43,687 inspections resulting in 1094 fines or prosecutions for illegal fishing, while a further 670 people were cautioned.

"These figures reflect the fact that Queensland has a very high compliance rate within the fishing sector at nearly 97 percent," Mr Mulherin said.

Townsville District Officer Robert Ibell said the investigation was ongoing but the number of whiting confiscated was well in excess of the legal bag limit.

"Summer, golden lined and northern whiting have a combined bag limit of 30 and a minimum size limit of 23cm,” he explained.

"This incident should be a reminder to everyone that a bag limit refers to the total number of fish an individual can legally take and have in their possession at any one time – it does not apply on a per day basis.

"The maximum penalty for exceeding the bag limit is $100,000."

Mr Ibell said there were 102 Boating and Fisheries Patrol authorised officers working throughout the state, carrying out random inspections and investigating complaints to the Fishwatch hotline.

"We want all fishers to make sure their knowledge of the rules is up to date," he added.

Queensland's fishing rules can be obtained from www.deedi.qld.gov.au or by telephoning 13 25 23.

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