John Davey saw several groups of fishers start taking cockles from 2.20pm on Christmas Day at the back channel of Bevans Island.

Mr Davey - who is also a community representative on the Lake Illawarra Estuary Management Committee - counted 51 cockle collectors during his walk.

"I bet they thought it was Christmas," Mr Davey posted on the Our Oak Flats Facebook page.

"And it doesn't include those on the foreshore ready to change shifts. In the water at Whyjuck Bay, back of Bevans Island and the back channel."

He noticed "11 then coming together to strip the meat and leaving a midden to be flushed away by the tide."

This blatant flouting of the laws did not surprise one former Illawarra fisheries officer.

Speaking to the Mercury, the former Department of Primary Industries officer, who didn't want to be identified, said there weren't nearly enough officers to catch the increasing number of poachers.

"Illawarra Fisheries are down to four officers and they work one weekend in four. One weekend in four is an absolute disgrace," he said.

"The likelihood of getting caught poaching cockles is next to zero, especially between Wattamolla and Gerringong, which is their area.

"It is an absolute joke. The majority of people who get pulled up are given cautions, they are hardly ever given fines unless it is really exceeding the bag limit."

Each person is allowed to collect 50 cockles per day and must have a fishing licence.

Reprimands for excessive fishing can range from a formal warning, a $500 on the spot fine or a notice to attend court.

The former Illawarra fisheries officer said DPI was a token organisation with little power to enforce rules.

"There are only 90 to 100 compliance officers for the whole state of New South Wales," he said.

"That's a disgrace. It's just a token organisation.

"It is like trying to plug a well with corks. They need double or triple the staff, especially in the summer period or warmer months, to deal with the amount of poaching that goes on in the Illawarra area."

Read more: 'Increase fines, decrease bag limits' at Lake Illawarra to deter cockle poachers

A spokesperson said there were 10 NSW DPI Fisheries officers conducting fisheries compliance patrols across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven areas, including five officers who are based at Port Kembla.

NSW DPI Fisheries has assembled a special mobile squad of experienced fisheries officers to patrol the area between Newcastle and Wollongong. The new squad is fully operational and will assist with the focus on illegal collecting hotspots.

"Many people have contacted me with concerns over this issue, which is why I have asked the Ministerial Recreational Fishing Advisory Committee to review the management of cockles in NSW, including the existing bag limit as a matter of priority," NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said.