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Aussie fisherman fuming over 'absolutely disgusting' find in creek

The NSW man said the act was extremely concerning, for several reasons.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: A "disturbing" find in a creek has outraged locals on the NSW Central Coast with a fisherman describing the scene as a "slaughterhouse in the water".

The man from Wyong Creek says he saw "a middle-aged couple" dump animal remains in the water off a popular fishing wharf, and was "horrified" to think of the damage it could potentially cause to marine life.

The man, who did not wish to be named, explained that he visited the wharf with his 13-year-old cousin on Saturday night with the hope of casting a line. "When I arrived, I asked if they were using the wharf. They yelled 'yes' quite quickly back to me so I went down a bit further till they left and this is what I came back to," he explained.

Photos and video shared with Yahoo News by the "passionate" fisherman show what many believe to be animal organs — likely from a cow, sheep or pig, he suggested. The man claimed the remains covered a 100-metre radius, saying what he found was "absolutely disgusting".

Animal remains in water at Wyong found by a fisherman.
Remains, believed to be from a pig or sheep, were found by a fisherman dumped in the water in Wyong, NSW. Source: Supplied

Fisherman 'extremely concerned' about find in water

"As a passionate fisherman, I'm quite horrified as so many species will be affected by this and that's why it's leading me to report this, and post on here to make other fishermen aware," he said on Facebook. He told Yahoo News Australia the act was extremely concerning for many reasons.

"My biggest concern was that if the animals are diseased, and if that’s why they were dumped, then that would affect the fish. Also about decomposing animals' waste properly," he said on Tuesday.

The fisherman said his little cousin was the first to see the animal remains in the water. "What effect could that have on her and other people?" he questioned. "To see what looked like a slaughterhouse in the water."

The Wyong local contacted authorities who are allegedly looking into the incident. Yahoo News contacted NSW Police for confirmation. The Central Coast Council has also been notified.

Is animal dumping harmful to marine life?

As horrible as it may be to witness such a sight, the dumping of animal remains in waterways is common and, in most cases, legal, says Garry Chenoweth, former president of NSW Game Fishing Association, and local resident. In fact, in many cases, it's actually good for fish and other species, but it depends on quantity.

"The occasional dumping of some sort of organ or [animal part] into the river won't harm the marine life as such," he told Yahoo. "Because there are crabs, there are stingrays, there are all sorts of scavenger fish that feed, eels, there's any number of different fish that feeds on any sort of opportunistic offerings."

Wyong Creek Wharf, Central Coast.
The fisherman was at Wyong Creek Wharf in the Central Coast of NSW when he witnessed the act. Source: Google Images

"However, obviously, if it's dumped in commercial quantities, it's going to have a massive impact on the ecosystem," he added. "Those sorts of things don't break down like fish do, so it's got to be eaten and picked away at [pretty quickly]."

Mr Chenoweth said it's "no different" to using chicken gut for bait or putting a piece of beef into a crab trap while fishing — and the NSW Department of Primary Industries agrees.

Locals respond to 'disturbing' scenes

The sight shocked many Facebook users who agreed it should have been reported.

"My brain can't even make sense of what that is," one said. "This is literally so disturbing," wrote another. Others agreed the remains were "good food" for the marine animals and suggested no harm had been done.

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