Unanderra fishing business Lochiel South, its director Tory Lavalle, former head fisherman Pasquale Brancatisano, the Lagoon Restaurant parent company Seacliff Functions Pty Ltd and the Lagoon’s head chef, Emanuel Efstathiadis, were found guilty on more than 200 charges under the NSW Fisheries Act after a mammoth court case in the NSW Local Court.

In a judgement handed down in December, Magistrate David Williams hit the group with a $2.1 million penalty, comprising fines, court costs and the forfeiture value of approximately $800,000 worth of shares in the state’s lobster management scheme.

It is the biggest financial penalty to be imposed for overfishing offences in NSW history.

Meantime, the ring leader, Brancatisano, was also jailed for at least two years, while Efstathiadis was handed a suspended prison sentence.

Lawyers for each of the parties indicated at the time their clients would appeal the findings. Those same lawyers fronted Wollongong District Court on Tuesday to set a date for the appeal to take place.

The court heard Efstathiadis would only appeal the severity of his sentence and not the findings of guilt against him, however the remaining parties will seek to have their entire set of convictions overturned.

If the appeal is unsuccessful, each of the parties could have further costs awarded against them.

Efstathiadis’s case will be heard on April 13. The remaining matters will be heard on September 24.