THE skipper of a fishing trawler says the government would have known if he had breached the Batemans Marine Park sanctuary zone earlier this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A Maloneys Beach family last week told the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner of their frustrated attempts to dob in the trawler for fishing in the restricted zone off their beach.
Owner and skipper of the Shelley H, Mark McDermott, said his 56-foot ocean trawler had merely taken shelter in the bay.
“We were working out the front that day,” he said. “There was a 30-knot nor-easter and a strong current.”
The trawler tried but failed to anchor at Yellow Point, so it headed into the bay to drop anchor from 2.30pm until 11pm.
The only fishing that took place, Mr McDermott said, was his 11-year-old son’s efforts off the bow in the habitat protection zone.
Government officials could use satellites to lock in at any time to monitors on the trawler, he said, after the equipment was installed at great expense to both parties. The computer can detail his location, speed, and other details.
“If they did get a complaint they would have looked at the internet and seen that we were just sitting there. They know the speed we do to drag our nets.
“Fisheries are pretty on the ball; they know where we are and what we’re doing.”