A protected fish described as the "Bambi of the sea" has allegedly been fatally speared off Queensland, outraging a community.
Three men have been accused of killing a Queensland groper off North Stradbroke Island on Tuesday, prompting calls for them to be prosecuted with the "full weight of the law".
The fish - estimated to be about one metre long - was allegedly speared off a rock wall at Amity Point.
Environmental scientist Daryl McPhee says the perpetrators should do the right thing and hand themselves into authorities, describing gropers as an iconic species.
"These creatures are the Bambi of the sea," the Bond University associate professor said.
"Every real spearfisherman knows that spearing a groper is illegal and just no challenge whatsoever.
"It is an iconic Queensland species and it has been protected for a long time."
Photos taken by an onlooker show the groper floating dead in the water and the incident has been reported to Queensland's Boating and Fisheries Patrol.
Dr McPhee said the local community was outraged.
"They (the perpetrators) should be prosecuted with the full weight of the law and if convicted receive a penalty consistent with the community outrage," he said.
Dr McPhee, a member of the Queensland government's sustainable fisheries expert panel, also called for more education for spearfishers.
"They need to know the law and know what fish is what before they jump in the water and kill something," he said.
The Queensland groper is the largest bony reef-dwelling fish in the world, growing to almost three metres long.
