Angler’s excuse a bit fishy

AN angry angler ended up in hot water after he tangled with fisheries officers who caught him with too much calamari at Queenscliff pier.

Keen fisherman George Papageorgiou had 40 calamari – four times the legal daily limit – when authorities netted him at the pier on November 23, the Geelong Magistrates’ Court was told yesterday.

Fisheries department prosecutor Laura Krummins told the court the self-employed Sunshine man had half his catch in his car, and argued it had been caught the day before. He also said the haul was shared with another angler at the pier. However, none of the calamari was on ice, and there was no evidence he’d been staying in the area.

Papageorgiou, 36, told the court yesterday he slept in the car the night before.

“It (your explanation) stinks to high heaven; you’ve got 40 calamari and no ice. Are you really fair dinkum?,” magistrate Michael Coghlan asked.

Mr Coghlan said Papageorgiou made matters worse for himself by launching a foulmouthed, aggressive spray at the fisheries officers.

Papageorgiou pleaded guilty to counts of exceeding his catch limit and abusing the fisheries officers.

Mr Coghlan said if he’d been more even-tempered on the day he would likely have escaped with no more than an on-the-spot fine.

Instead, Papageorgiou was banned from fishing for six months and hit with a bill of $955 in fines and costs.