INSPECTORS suspected something fishy about the caravan being hauled along the Bruce Highway in Queensland.

And when the Boating and Fisheries officers intercepted the southbound rig at Home Hill they reeled in a couple of grey nomads allegedly with 126 whiting over the legal bag limit.

The illegal catch was discovered in the couple's caravan and was the second incident within months in which officers have nabbed caravanners for being over the fish limit.

In the previous case, officers armed with a search warrant reportedly seized 328 whiting when they swooped on a traveller's RV at a Townsville caravan park.

There is a legal combined limit of 30 per person for all whiting species except trumpeter whiting, which is 50.

Patrol officer Karl Roebuck said the two people caught at Home Hill now face a penalty of up to $100,000.

Queensland Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said: "It is not acceptable for anyone to ignore Queensland’s fishing rules and regulations and this should be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can get away with it.

"I won’t tolerate people who deliberately disregard the rules and the community won’t tolerate it either.

"I encourage anyone who suspects people of breaking the law to contact the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116. Every complaint will be investigated."

Boating and Fisheries officers last year carried out 43,687 fisheries inspections resulting in a total of 1094 fines or prosecutions for illegal fishing, while a further 670 people were cautioned.

There are 102 authorised officers working throughout the state, carrying out random inspections and investigating complaints to the Fishwatch hotline.

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