A Victorian Angler, Glenn Greene was this week fined $3000 for writing out his own Recreational Fishing Licenses in Victoria, after being mistakenly given 5000 blank licenses in 2013.

Caught up the dramas, were two footy players from the Melbourne Storm, Matt Duffie and Jordan McLean. The two first grade players were taken on a fishing trip in 2012 by Greene, where he helped them fill in a blank license to avoid paying the fee’s charged by the Victorian DPI.

Of the 5000, 4325 have now been recovered by Victorian Police. 1000 of the blank licenses were found in a retail outlet in Portland, and the remaining licenses are likely being used by Recreational Anglers in Victoria. Should Greene have been successful in handing out all of his blank licenses, it could have robbed the Vic DPI a whopping $330,000, money which could have done wonders for improving Recreational Fishing facilities in Victoria.

The Recreational Fishing License (RFL) costs $66 for three years, or $24.50 a year and while there’s no tests or exams to ensure you know about bag limits and legal sizes, the proceeds of the licenses do go towards initiatives by the DPI to improve recreational fishing around the state. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 70 are required to have one if they intend to catch fish or crayfish in Victoria, and getting one is as simple as going online and paying your money! Day passes are only $6! So if you’ve got visitors in town, save the embarrassing questions and get them one.

Buy a Recreational Fishing License here.