Two Narromine males are under investigation after posting a photo on social media of themselves holding an oversized Murray Cod.
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The males, who identified themselves as the “Cod Squad”, were seen holding the 54 pound cod.
It is illegal to extract the fish from the river.
A spokesperson from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) confirmed it is investigating the matter.
“This matter is being investigated by DPI Fisheries in conjunction with the NSW Rural Crime Squad,” they said.
The two males, who have photos holding the oversized cods on the Macquarie Region in the Narromine Shire, were “outed” on a Facebook page on Thursday evening around 9pm.
The post has since gone viral with over 300 shares and about 200 people reacting to the post.
There are also close to 500 comments with people angered or sticking up for the duo.
This matter is being investigated by DPI Fisheries in conjunction with the NSW Rural Crime Squad.
- DPI Spokesperson
One Facebook user, Ray Wooster, called on the authorities almost straight away to take action.
“So what are the authorities doing? Has it been reported?
“Surely these individuals know the hunt is what it’s all about, the next greatest buzz is the release,” he said.
Regional angler, Matt Hansen is among those disgusted by the two males, who have caught and kept the fish.
“It is disgusting behaviour in 2017,” he said.
“It’s these people who are killing the future of the river we’ve been trying to look after for our kids and grandkids.
“This kind of behaviour was acceptable in 1963, not now.”
The viral post can still be seen on the website but the original post appears to have been removed by the Narromine males.
The DPI website www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing covers fishing rules and regulations and lists what the legal permissible sizes are for catching fish.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated in a paragraph that the fish the men caught was a carp when it was in fact a Cod. The mistake has been fixed.