He copped the fine for exceeding the daily limit for leatherjackets.
Mr Brady, who is passionate about balancing marine sustainability with preserving Aboriginal cultural links with fishing, expressed his disgust over the penalty in an appeal to Wollongong District Court yesterday.
"I made a mistake but this penalty is ridiculous and on my calculation I'll be paying if off until 2050 when I'm dead and gone," he told the court.
Mr Brady, 32, of Stanwell Park, was found guilty of the offence in April this year.
He had 101 fish in his possession. The limit is 20.
Brady fought the charge arguing the fish were a number of different species and that they were to be distributed among several sick elders.
But the Fisheries Department engaged a legal and scientific team to prove him wrong over the species issue and said there were no provisions under the Fisheries Management Act for an indigenous entitlement.
They charged him two days short of the two years allowable for prosecution, an issue which was strongly criticised by Judge Paul Conlon yesterday.
Mr Brady told the court that on the day he had been fishing for aunties who included high-profile elder the late Aunty Mary.
He said despite the fact he was unemployed, he worked voluntarily as an Australian Aerial Patrol director and had lobbied ministers including the now-deposed Ian Macdonald for a better deal for indigenous fishing rights.
Mr Brady said while he supported the work of Fisheries Department officers, he felt they had come down too hard on him in this case.
Judge Conlon halved the fine to $500 and halved the costs to $5000.
Outside the court, Mr Brady said that was still too high considering the offence.
He said the real issue was the feeling among the indigenous community that they had been locked out of a cultural pursuit even when the species - such as leatherjacket - was abundant.
"I've written at least 20 submissions to the Government on indigenous fishing access issues but we are still not even considered stakeholders in the debate," he said.
Source: The Illawarra Mercury
Resources: NSW Bag and size limits - saltwater
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