Between rock and a hard place

06.04.2010

JUST 12 hours after a fisherman
died, swept off rocks at Port
Kembla, a dozen brazen anglers
were yesterday braving a big
swell and pounding waves in the
same area near Hill 60.
The Australian National
Sportfishing Association (ANSA)
criticised inexperienced, illprepared
rock fishermen taking
risks in such conditions.
Port Kembla is the fifth most
deadly rock fishing location in
Australia. The latest tragedy, at
Honeycomb Rocks, came just two
weeks after police used angel
rings to rescue a fisherman in the
same area and 13 months after a
71-year-old Strathfield man
drowned nearby at night.
A 43-year-old Yagoona man,
believed to be of Indonesian
background, was swept into the
water about 8.30pm on Sunday.
He was winched out of the rough
surf by the ambulance rescue
helicopter, after two police went
to his aid with angel rings. Police
performed CPR, but he died at the
ANSA national safety officer
Stan Konstantaras said nobody
should have been fishing from the
exposed rock platform in the
rough conditions on Sunday night.
"The message we are always
pushing, especially ... at night, is
to wear a life jacket," Mr Konstantaras
said.
"I praise the police for jumping
in, but they should not have been
placed in that situation because
of a couple of anglers going out in
dangerous conditions.
"There were other sheltered
locations where they could have
fished."
Mr Konstantaras said education
and advertising were being targeted
at inexperienced anglers
from non-English speaking backgrounds
in western Sydney and
with multi-lingual information
online at www.safefishing.com.au.
"What is alarming is that we
can't get assistance from the NSW
Government.
"We are shouldering all the
responsibility as volunteers," he
said. "We installed two more
glow-in-the-dark angel rings at
Hill 60 two weeks ago and there
are now six life rings."
Yesterday, just four of the six
rings were left on Honeycomb
Rocks, while two - likely those
used in Sunday's attempted rescue
- were missing.
Empty cans, tangled fishing line
and rubbish littered the rocks,
where plaques paid tribute to
other drowned anglers.
Those fishing off rock ledges
near the sewage treatment works
yesterday were either unaware,
or undeterred, by the drowning.
Lake Illawarra police acting
inspector John Klepczarek said
rock fishermen needed to weigh
up the dangers against the potentially
good catch.
Inexperienced rock fishermen
took the sea and the conditions
for granted, he said.
He reiterated the need for
fishermen to wear life jackets,
carry torches, tell others their
location and familiarise themselves
with the angel rings.