It is told that a spate of illegal fish jagging or foul hooking on the NSW North coast has created havoc for NSW Department of Primary Industries. The DPI has issued warnings about the inhumane practice in the areas. Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said opined that four fishers on the Northern Rivers have each received $200 penalty infringement notices for fish jagging in the last month.
Macdonald also said that recently a man was caught jagging fish off the Yamba breakwall and fined by NSW DPI fisheries officers. He added that the man was observed using fishing gear for the purpose of jagging fish. The authority has issued him a $200 infringement notice for the jagging offence and another $200 notice for obstruction, told Macdonald.
Commenting on the issue NSW DPI’s Manager Fisheries Compliance Glenn Tritton said that hooking or attempting to hook a fish other than through the mouth is called jagging or foul hooking – and it is an illegal fishing method. He informed that four have been caught in the act by DPI fisheries officers at Lennox Head, Yamba and in the Tweed. He said that the large schools of mullet migrating on the north coast at the moment are being seen as an easy target for jagging.
