Hibiscus Coast residents devastated after iconic kingfish 'Murphy' slain

Hibiscus Coast residents are angry and devastated after a beloved kingfish was killed at Gulf Harbour Marina. Photo / Facebook

Hibiscus Coast residents are devastated after a beloved kingfish was caught and killed by two men at Gulf Harbour Marina.

A post that has been shared on many Facebook community pages, including the Hibiscus Coast, explaining the "barbaric" slaying of the iconic 1.2m kingfish known as Murphy, which happened on Saturday November 17 at about 3.15pm.

Two men, said to be "European" were seen being dropped off from a boat at the commercial Z pier and then spearing the fish from the pier.

The post said the men were seen gutting and gilling Murphy near the Discovery ferry area.

Many residents have left comments on how angry they are about the death of Murphy.

"Oh no.. our son loves visiting and feeding 'his' fish and was so excited to see the "great big kingfish"... what ass****!!," one person said.

"What pathetic boys they are. Obviously not capable of catching anything in the wild. Those fish in the marina are so tame. They bring so much joy to families watching and feeding them! Hopefully these low-lifes are held to account for their actions," another said.

"These protected fish become great breeding stock as well as education for children and onlookers. Murphy may yet have his say with upset tummies when eating him! RIP Murphy!" an upset resident wrote.

Gulf Harbour Marina is a free viewing spot where thousands of families enjoying feeding the fish.