Police have caught a tourist who killed protected fish with a spear gun before posing with them on a hunting trip in Thailand.

Roslan Bendenia, from the Netherlands, smirked while he was grilled by officers yesterday afternoon on the island of Phuket.

The personal fitness trainer sparked anger last week when he used the harpoon to snare three protected parrotfish, a long ell and two other fish on a trip around Koh Phi Phi islands in Krabi, southern Thailand.

Footage shows him posing shirtless on a wooden longtail boat with a knife through the gills of the eel and the five other specimens strung up with a metal cable. He had a black holster around his right calf, believed to be the kind used by divers to carry knives.

Roslan boasted online that he had been 'spear fishing' and 'dived 30 metres down to catch these'.

However, outraged locals saw the post and branded the tourist 'thoughtless'. They reported him to the government's wildlife officials, who began searching for the tourist and boat captain.

Roslan was detained on the neighbouring island of Phuket on Monday August 15 where police questioned him before he was released. They said the case was ongoing.

A tourist police spokesman added: 'The tourist admitted shooting the fish but said he did not know the area was part of the national park.

'The details have been given to investigating officers at the Phi Phi Police Station, who will be collecting evidence to send the case for prosecution according to the steps of the law. The investigation will also extend to the boat owner and the service provider for renting a fishing gun to the tourist.'

Staff from Thailand's National Park department National Park said they launched the search for the holidaymaker after the video emerged of him holding the fish. He was posing without his shirt, revealing his ripped physique.

Ratchada Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya, Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said: ‘We prohibit such actions as it is against the National Park Act. If found guilty, the person shall be liable to imprisonment of not more than five years or a fine of not more than 20,000 baht, or both.'

The wildlife chief said officers had already identified the name of the boat. They are now tracing its owner.

A National Park spokesman said in a statement released online that the video appeared to show that the tourist had broken at least five laws regarding the protection of marine animals.

It includes 'taking out, or doing anything to harm natural resources, or doing any other actions that affect the ecosystem biodiversity and natural resources and environment without permission from the competent official'.

Another accusation that the organisation included in their statement was that it was an offence to 'bring tools for hunting or capturing animals or any weapons into a National Park without permission from the competent official'.

The National Parks statement added: 'The parrotfish has a beautiful appearance and colour, therefore, people catch it for food, causing the parrot fish population to decline. There is an impact on the overall ecosystem of the sea and in that area, it will be very unbalanced. More corals will die or recover more slowly.'

In 2018, six French tourists were charged with trapping and killing rare sea animals after they caught parrotfish under the country's Environmental Protection Act 2535.

The biggest threat to parrotfish comes from overfishing by commercial trawlers.