Original story by Brian Williams, The Courier-Mail
ILLEGAL netting and dumping of fish has been occurring on Moreton Island for more than five years and successive governments have done nothing about it, says recreational fishing group Sunfish.
Fish dumped at Yellow Patch on the northern tip of Moreton Island off Brisbane.
Spokeswoman Judy Lynne said she had contacted the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Queensland Fisheries more than 10 times over the past five years with no results.
Ms Lynne said the Government knew who was behind the issue because many people had reported them but no prosecutions had been launched because officials never bothered to police the area.
Island residents and recreational fishers have taken photographs of tonnes of fish dumped at a creek at Yellow Patch on the northern end of the island off Brisbane about a week ago.
"Everyone knows who it is. People phone up the Government about it but they do nothing,'' she said. "Until they start to police things, it will continue.''
A Fisheries Queensland spokeswoman said 11 complaints had been recorded about fishing activities on Moreton over the past three years.
"Moreton Island is regularly patrolled, however a person needs to be caught in the act of illegal fishing, or have strong evidence linking them to the act, in order for a fine or prosecution to be enforced,'' she said.
Ms Lynne said illegal fishing occurred in a yellow zone at Yellow Patch under the Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan.
"Fisheries used to have a flying squad to handle these sorts of things but it's been disbanded,'' she said. "This has got to be policed. We need action.''
Fisheries and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service officers were investigating the dumping of bycatch.
The Fisheries spokeswoman said the flying squad had not been disbanded, rather it was renamed the Surveillance and Investigation Unit and some limited fishing was allowed in yellow zones.
A recreational fisher said there was no policing on the island.
"It's disgraceful what's happening over there,'' he said. "People are trying to sell undersize fish, other stuff that's gone off is being dumped and people are just not following the rules. They are running rampant and the Government is allowing it.''
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