A fisherman who allegedly illegally groped a beloved blue with a spear before proudly posing with the fish in his bloodied diving suit has been fined and questioned by police.
The 26-year-old fisherman was fined just $500 for spearing the protected species from the Oak Park rock pool in Cronulla – a no-spearing zone – in Sydney's south.
The minor punishment comes despite the act angering locals with the fish, affectionately called 'Gus', who has lived in the area for decades.
And because the sentence does not require the fisherman to appear in court, his name has not been publicly released.
Mystery also surrounds the fate of the fish after NSW Police said officers had been unable to locate the body and said they believed it had been 'returned to the water'.
The 26-year-old unnamed spearfisherman with Gus, the much-loved blue groper, who had lived near Cronulla for about 40 years before he was murdered last Saturday
Danny Greig posted this photo of himself diving with Gus, the more tactile, at Oak Park, saying the fish 'loved the company of the hundreds of divers' who visited the waters
However, area divers seemed certain Gus is dead and posted a tribute to 'the lovable blue payer' who had lived in the area for at least 35 years.
“You were more than just a diving buddy,” one wrote on social media, while another called the fish an “adored gentle sea giant.”
Despite the fact that spearfishing for blue groper was prohibited and the maximum penalty was $22,000 and/or six months in prison, the 26-year-old man was fined just $500.
Officers from the NSW Police Marine Area Command were called to Oak Park at around 5pm last Saturday following reports of a 'Blue Groper fish reportedly killed by a spearfisherman'.
Tenille Piek of Lilli Pilli, who along with other diving members of her family has swum with Gus in Oak Park for 30 years, witnessed the painful moment along with outraged locals.
“The man triumphantly pulled the payer out of the water,” says Mrs. Piek.
'My mother was the first to approach the man asking to take his photo.
'He smiled and showed his kill without realizing it was a protected species and could be fined.'
After police spoke to the spearfisherman and were unable to locate the fish, he was fined.
It is unknown what next happened to Gus, who was estimated to be at least 40 years old.
In a 2015 incident at Tura on the NSW south coast, fishermen who speared a payer held the fish as if catching it on a line, but were fined when fisheries inspectors 'a spear wound' on the body of the found a payer.
Devastated social media users took to Facebook to express their anger at the man who caught Gus.
Others posted photos of themselves diving with Gus, with one man saying the fish “loved the company of the hundreds of divers who visited Oak Park.”
Tenille Piek, above swimming with Gus in Oak Park, where the beloved sea giant let people hand-feed him, said the spearfisherman pulled the fish out of the water 'triumphantly'
Abyss Scuba Diving also posted a blog post dedicated to a “sincere tribute to Gus.”
“You were a true companion and accompanied me on countless dives,” the tribute read.
“Your untimely death on December 30, 2023, at the hands of a spearfisherman, has left us devastated.
“Let's honor 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 'beautiful bright blue fish' was known to other divers and swimmers including the 'Jellybeans' – a local swimming group.
Mrs. Piek was distraught when she saw a large blue groper had been speared at Hungry Point, southeast of Oak Park, and feared it might be Gus.
Mrs Piek said she was then 'delighted' to see Gus diving a few days later and that 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 has you hand-feed him sea urchins, and it's a privilege to experience these encounters.”
Mrs Piek says she is afraid for future generations.
“We are genuinely concerned that our children will not experience these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat on the shores of Cronulla,” she said.