LATEST: About 30 little penguins that washed up dead on Altona beach on August 20 died after becoming entangled in commercial fishing net, an investigation by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) has found.
DEPI officers interviewed a commercial fisherman operating in the area following a call from a member of the public to the 13FISH reporting line.
“The fisherman cooperated fully with DEPI officers and gave admission to the penguins becoming inadvertently trapped in his net.” DEPI spokesman Travis Dowling said.
“He was devastated by the event.
“As the entanglement was an accident, no legal action will be taken under the Fisheries Act 1995 or the Wildlife Act 1975.
“This is a sad and very unfortunate event. DEPI is now working with the fishing industry to better understand how this occurred and what measures can be implemented to better protect our wildlife and prevent this happening again.
“We will also commence a process to improve reporting requirements for any interactions of commercial fishers with protected species.”
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