Prosecuted for dredging in the Meroo River NSW - fined $2500

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Eldorado said:
mbasko said:
It took 19 days to get the penalty notice/fine?
It seems to me he was likely given a verbal warning on the 7th then caught again on the 26th so was given the penalty notice/fine + a Prohibition Notice (would have been from the Resource Regulator).
Appears to me the Police & Resource Regulator have given this bloke a couple of chances.
Now he has a Prohibition Notice I don't think he'll be so lucky next time. Might find himself right in the :poop: if caught again.
It was the 26th of July mbasko,6 weeks after first being spotted.
:) 6 weeks, 19 days (oops) - still seems to me like he has been given a chance then caught again resulting in the fine & prohibition notice.
 
Trusted said:
Why didn't they confiscate the dredge? These illegal operations need much harsher fines.
I've been panning for a while and I have seen the big water holes they leave behind and it takes some big floods to get them covered up.
I didn't see anywhere there that it said they did or didn't confiscate his gear.
Would be interesting to know.
 
20 years ago ( maybe more) fisheries officers carried a side arm just like the cops. Maybe they and the rangers should be at least be able to carry pepper spray and tasers for self protection. Back then they probably only had to deal with nasty pricks breaking the law. Now theyve got to deal with a whole new bunch of self entitled pieces of what comes out of our back ends. :poop:
 
The next flood would obliterate any sign that he had ever been there. Are you going to prosecute and fine floods, which do far more damage?
 
Bjay said:
20 years ago ( maybe more) fisheries officers carried a side arm just like the cops.
That's strange - 30 years ago they didn't.
And there would be half a chance they would suffer a drenching if they tried confiscating equipment.
 
Think that AH got sufficient warning but he persisted with dredging, its not the police or regulators who's job it is to apply the law, they have discretion and I hope that they use it, takes time and energy to get a successful prosecution particularly with those that plead ignorance, but , perhaps we should all join NAPFA and rattle those ponies to give those arrogant AH bureaucrats that do not respond to the publics desires to enjoy this wonderfull country , the current laws are ambiguous no definitions , having says that, been to my local member with a few issue and got relies , but they were braindead replies, standard letters , one was the lack of parking for Nanna's, Pops , Mothers and Fathers to take their family to a local skate park and have close legal parking etc ect ect , the reply the general manager of the council has indicated their is sufficient parking in the area not according to my survey visual and speaking to mums and dads parked illegally,, that pollie has no compliant disabled access to his office and needs to go have a look to see what the issue is, its called total quality management , and quality improvement programming , all based on simple plain english working legislation and procedures to help the community, values and needs based on provable science, not like this fishing crap that is currently gaining public notification via the talkback radio stations, that is the proposal for the expansion of national marine reserves to protect sea grass , gollleeee,,,, Gomer,,,, next it will be high banking and the damage that activity creates
 
Reg Wilson said:
The next flood would obliterate any sign that he had ever been there. Are you going to prosecute and fine floods, which do far more damage?
Maybe so Reg dependant on a number of factors I.e. size of flood, area etc. etc.
They do say that the Meroo is a perennial stream but I would say it borders on being ephemeral (runs when it rains). I used to think these types of waterways would recover more readily with flood events but I've seen a number of examples here where damage has been left & is still apparent years later & after a number of minor/major flood events - floods don't necessarily just wash some things away. Even relatively small modern highbanker diggings left open can remain or even wash out further as have many historic diggings which are still evident in & along these waterways. Floods haven't washed them away after 100+ years or not all of them at least.
Are you asking me "Are you going to prosecute and fine floods, which do far more damage?"?
We don't make or enforce the laws here & rightly or wrongly dredging has been made illegal, to all but those with the appropriate lease &/or licence to dredge, in all of it's uses not just recovery of gold. It's unlawful to carry out for the vast majority of us here & unrealistic to compare it to the natural event of flooding which we have little control over if any. It's akin to saying it's ok to leave deep detecting or fossicking holes open because wombats are allowed to dig deeper/worse holes.
So no I'm not going to prosecute or fine anyone (or anything). I don't bother dobbing them in either. I care little if people dredge or don't in as far as the act of dredging itself. I do care though that people keep breaking the laws & ultimately bring more unwanted attention to us. It's my opinion that in many ways illegal dredging has inadvertently led to the highbanker with pump being tagged as illegal now due to the difficulty of normal Rangers being able to readily identify differences so it's easier to outlaw the pump altogether.
For the record if this bloke got caught where a number of local people had seen a dredge set up at Avisford then he's his own worst enemy. It's no surprise that he was caught & he may as well had on a flashing red light saying look at me.
Another dredging argument :zzz:
 
Reg Wilson said:
The next flood would obliterate any sign that he had ever been there. Are you going to prosecute and fine floods, which do far more damage?

This is true in some of the bigger creeks and rivers but where I come from there are a lot of seasonal creeks and gullies that have been dredged and these big floods you talk about, come only every 10 years or so and it all depends on the height of the mountains surrounding them.
 
moeee said:
Bjay said:
20 years ago ( maybe more) fisheries officers carried a side arm just like the cops.
That's strange - 30 years ago they didn't.
And there would be half a chance they would suffer a drenching if they tried confiscating equipment.
Was a childhood memory. Im older than what I think so if they used to it would be more like 30 to 40 years. As mentioned it is a childhood memory so theres every likleyhood that it is wrong.
 
Bjay said:
moeee said:
Bjay said:
20 years ago ( maybe more) fisheries officers carried a side arm just like the cops.
That's strange - 30 years ago they didn't.
And there would be half a chance they would suffer a drenching if they tried confiscating equipment.
Was a childhood memory. Im older than what I think so if they used to it would be more like 30 to 40 years. As mentioned it is a childhood memory so theres every likleyhood that it is wrong.

Actually there is more chance I am wrong as I originally wrote 50 years ago and editted it to 30.
Perhaps you are correct when considering offshore illegal fishing.
My recollection and experience is about inland fishing.

That there is a possibility that a citizen could get shot because he didn't have a fishing license is ludicrous.
 
And for the record, some old dredging has left permanent scars on the landscape and it's not a pretty sight.
 
Reg Wilson said:
The next flood would obliterate any sign that he had ever been there. Are you going to prosecute and fine floods, which do far more damage?

Yeah might as well cut down all the trees also as they'll be gone when the next bushfire goes thru anyways :playful: :poop: idea
 

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