Inverloch outraged by stingray slaughter

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Inverloch outraged by stingray slaughter

THE killing of two stingrays at the Inverloch jetty has saddened residents and visitors who saw them as icons of the town.

The animals were slaughtered just days apart, with parts of the rays removed and the carcasses tossed back into the sea.

Raewyn Petracca of Inverloch posted on the Inverloch Community Voice Facebook page, “So sad and angry to hear one of our beautiful majestic stingrays was caught and killed at the pier last night. Although not protected, they should be. They are part of Inverloch jetty and enjoyed by locals and visitors young and old.”

Her post prompted an outpouring of sympathy from the community, with people calling for the stingrays to be protected. Facebook comments included:

  • Kelly Hamilton: “That is horrible”;
  • Donna Lancaster: “What an awful thing to do”;
  • Patricia Saultry: “This is dreadful! They should be protected! They need to extend the marine park!”;
  • Josie Eynaud: “Some people are so sick”;
  • Jason Tonkin: “Only locals could understand the luv for these local identities as many including myself have swam with them”;
  • Julianne Bakogiannis: “So sad. My daughter loves to go to the pier to see if they are there. It’s part of the joy of coming to Inverloch”; and
  • Alena Kosciuk: “Inverloch is changing. Heading down to the off lead beach we wandered through spat out cooked chicken bones and food stuffs when a bin was only metres away. Cooked bones are a choking hazard for the unsuspecting dog. The pier was barely standing room with every contraption to haul in anything that dared float in (I am not referring to the recreational people out with their families).”

Fisheries Victoria’s Chris Angwin, based at Cowes, said while he understood the community was distraught, the anglers who killed the stingrays were acting legally.

“It’s unfortunate but it’s no different to catching a gummy shark and filleting off the fillet and tossing the carcass back into the water,” he said.

“If a person from out of town does not know the stingrays are residents and comes in and catches one, there is not a lot we can do about it.

“I would hope people would dispose of the carcass properly and not just leave it on the beach.”

Mr Angwin, regional supervising fisheries officer for central region, is also aware of problems with crab pots being left at the Inverloch jetty.

The Star was told the rope of a stray crab pot became entangled in the propeller of a boat, causing several thousand dollars damage.

Pots are often left unattended and become entangled around jetty pylons.

Mr Angwin said anglers are allowed to use two hoop nets each and if left unattended, the nets must be affixed with a tag with the owner’s name and address above the waterline.

People caught leaving hoop nets unattended face fines of several hundred dollars, depending on the offence.

A litre of crabs or a total of 30 per person can be caught daily.

Popular animals: Inverloch residents are angered by the killing of two stingrays at the town’s jetty. Photo: Facebook.

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Posted by on Apr 26 2017. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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