Locals fuming about the illegal spearfishing of a beloved local groper have proposed the area where it lived be made a marine park named after the fish, affectionately known as ‘Gus’.
The move to have Oak Park Beach and surrounds at Cronulla in southern Sydney named ‘Gus Reserve’ is gathering momentum on a Facebook page dedicated to Gus.
The page was started up after the fisherman – who is still yet to be publicly named – was fined just $500 for spearing the protected species in the no spearfishing zone on December 30.
The act ended the life of the fish regarded as a ‘dive buddy’ in the area for decades and the tiny penalty imposed on the unidentified man has continued to enrage locals and marine life lovers.
Posters mourning the fish’s demise have demanded further penalties for the fisherman who speared Gus, tagging in politicians including the NSW Opposition Leader and Cronulla MP Mark Speakman.
The 26-year-old unnamed spearfisherman with Gus, the beloved blue groper, which had lived around Cronulla for about 40 years before he was killed on December 30
The fisherman, said to be from New Zealand, strode into the water and speared Gus, which was so friendly it ate out of the hands of local who swam with it for decades
Gus was speared at Oak Park on December 30 by a 26-year-old man who was interviewed and fined $500 by officers from the NSW Police Marine Area Command.
It has since been suggested that the unidentified man is from New Zealand, prompting angry suggestions to have him deported.
Mark Prentice, who saw the man carrying the fish’s body from the water after spearing Gus told Channel Seven claimed the fisherman ‘was hurling abuse at locals’ as he walked up the beach.
The area where Gus lived for the last 30 to 40 years is a popular swimming and snorkeling spot signposted with warnings that spearfishing is illegal under NSW Department of Primary Industries rules, and penalties apply.
Campaigners said the area should become a marine reserve to protect other gropers.
‘Every reef on the South Coast has a friendly Gus,’ one person wrote.
‘Each dive company could adopt a groper and educate the non-divers and those buying a spear … with no Idea about protecting these guys.
‘The Gus Reserve tells a story that will live on forever. Signs don’t always work, people will always be ignorant.
‘Rather then looking at the problem lets look at the solution. Go the Gus Reserve and let this legend’s legacy become an Aussie marine icon to teach others.’
Tenille Piek and Gus the beloved groper who swam with locals for 30 years until a spear fisherman illegally caught the marine giant and cope fines totalling just $800
Astonished local watched on as the man slung Gus across his shoulder and carried the fish up the beach, reportedly ‘hurling abuse’ at the onlookers
Another person decried the ‘senseless killing of Gus’, saying ‘I would like to know what the guy was thinking as Gus swam towards him looking for a “treat”. Only to be greeted by an act of treachery and death.
‘Gus was more than a fish, he touched so many people locally and internationally as they learn to dive and get to know the beautiful creatures that lay beneath the waves.’
Despite spear fishing of blue groper fishes being prohibited and the maximum penalty being $22,000 and/or six months in prison, most people caught doing it are fined just $500.
A further penalty of $300 has been since imposed on the fisherman who speared Gus, who appears to have told police that the fish was released back into the ocean.
However photographs taken by the Piek family, who have been diving almost daily with Gus for decades, appear to show that Gus is dead.
After witnessing the distressing moment, Tenille Piek described the moment, saying ‘the man pulled the groper out of the water triumphantly.
‘My mother was the first person to approach the man requesting to take his photo.
Danny Greig posted this photo of himself diving with Gus the groper off Oak Park, saying the fish ‘loved the company of the hundreds of divers’ who frequented the waters
‘He smiled and showed off his killing without realising it was a protected species and could be fined.’
Ms Piek’s father Bob, who described Gus ‘eating out of your hand’ said ‘there’s no skill in a spear fisherman taking Gus’.
Carolyn Piek’s first photo of the fisherman shows him posing at the water’s edge in his bloodied wetsuit holding up Gus’s inert body.
He slung Gus across his shoulder and marched up the beach with astonished observers watching on, then walked across the grass away from the ocean.
NSW Police said officers had been unable to locate the body and said they believed it had ‘been returned to the water’.
Divers from the area, however, were sure Gus is dead and posted tributes to ‘the amiable blue groper’ which is estimated to have been at least 40 years old.
After police spoke with the spear fisherman, and failed to locate the fish, they issued him with the penalty notice.
And because the penalty does not require the fisherman to appear in court, his name has not been publicly released.
The Department of Primary Industries told news.com.au on Monday that the man showed ‘significant remorse’ when confronted by fisheries officers and was a first-time offender.
‘Fisheries Officers also took the time to provide the person of interest with education and awareness material to ensure that they know and understand the rules of spearfishing,’ a DPI spokesperson said.
The spear fisherman slung Gus across his shoulder as he marched up the beach, then headed away from the shore with Gus in his arms, but told police the fish was ‘returned to the water’
Tenille Piek, above swimming with Gus at Oak Park where the beloved marine giant let people hand feed him, said the spearfisherman had pulled the fish from the water ‘triumphantly’
Abyss Scuba Diving also posted a blog post dedicated as a ‘heartfelt tribute to Gus’.
‘You were a true companion, joining me on countless dives,’ the tribute read.
‘Your untimely demise on December 30, 2023, at the hands of a spear fisherman has left us devastated.
‘Let’s honour Gus’s memory by celebrating the beauty of the underwater world he was a part of.’
In March last year, Tenille Piek told the Sutherland Leader that the ‘gorgeous bright blue fish’ was well-known to other divers and swimmers including the ‘Jellybeans’ – a local swimming group.
Ms Piek had been distraught when she saw that a large blue groper had been speared at Hungry Point, south-east of Oak Park, and feared it might have been Gus.
Ms Piek said she had then been ‘thrilled’ to see Gus when diving a few days later and he was ‘as friendly as ever’.
‘Blue Gropers are the “Labradors of the Sea”,’ she said. ‘They are tame and fearless, which makes them very vulnerable.
‘Gus lets you hand feed him sea urchins, and it is a privilege to experience these encounters.’
Ms Piek said she feared for future generations.
‘We genuinely fear our children will not get to experience these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat at the shores of Cronulla,’ she said.