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[chris gadsden]

This was sent to me this evening.



Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Three Recreational Sturgeon Anglers Fined
DELTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 10, 2009) - Three recreational anglers were convicted and fined a total of $5,900 in Surrey Provincial Court for committing illegal activities involving white sturgeon in violation of the Fisheries Act. A fourth member of the group is currently awaiting trial for the same incident.
They appeared before the Honourable Judge Michael Hicks, March 2, 2009, and pled guilty to fishing with a barbed hook, contrary to the terms of their recreational fishing licences. One person was fined $600 and ordered to forfeit his fishing gear. He was fined $300, and both men were prohibited from fishing for one year.

On May 14, 2009, a third member of the group, appeared before the Honourable Judge Kenneth Ball and pled guilty to unlawfully possessing a dead white sturgeon, and to fishing with barbed hooks. He was ordered to forfeit his fishing gear and was fined a total of $5,000. The Court ordered that $4,000 of the fines levied against him be directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund for fisheries management and habitat conservation and protection, specifically for the conservation and protection of the sturgeon in the Fraser River and waters associated with the Fraser River.

The four men involved in the incident were initially observed engaging in illegal activities September 19, 2009, during a regular evening patrol by fishery officers.

The largest, longest-lived freshwater fish species in North America, white sturgeon have been known to live for over 100 years and can reach a maximum length of approximately six metres. In August 2006, the Government of Canada added white sturgeon populations from the Kootenay, Nechako, Upper Columbia, and Upper Fraser rivers to Schedule 1, the list of species protected under the Species at Risk Act.

White sturgeon populations in the lower and middle sections of the Fraser River were not added to the list; however, all white sturgeon populations, whether listed or not listed, are carefully managed and white sturgeon is still listed as endangered under COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada). DFO has implemented fishing restrictions which include a prohibition on the use of barbed hooks to minimize the injury sustained by the fish during capture and release. Fishing for sturgeon in the lower Fraser River is limited to a barbless hook catch and release fishery only.

DFO acts to end illegal fishing activities. As part of this work, the Department asks the general public for information on activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
Leri Davies
Strategic Media Relations Advisor
(604) 612-6837

[brood dude]

finally some one has grown a pair and handed out some stiff fines , i hope this is a sigh of what is in store for any other rule breakers!

thanks for the post!

[camtheman]

its always nice to read about morons getting caught
thanks chris for the read

[searun17]

Me being a recreational angler,i dont think i like being lumped in with these so called recreational anglers because they obviosly are not,good on DFO for handing out some stiff penalties.

[Novabonker]

I don't think the fines were stiff enough. Forfeiture of vehicles as well as fines starting in the $10,000 range would send out a much sterner warning. For the one small victory there was a thousand defeats that went unnoticed.
When the fines and punishment become severe enough, maybe then there will be a little more compliance.

Boy, do I sound like a grumpy old geezer....

[Eagleye]

Me being a recreational angler,i dont think i like being lumped in with these so called recreational anglers because they obviosly are not,good on DFO for handing out some stiff penalties.

 yeah, they should be calling them poachers not recreational anglers.

[labmik]

I'm glad it's getting the press time. 

[camtheman]

do poachers see themselves as poachers? I'd think they would want to see themselves as rec. anglers
maybe this would get people to read the regs more often

[Matt]

Maybe a night in a cell with Bubba and a little Barry White would cure them of their habits?

[arimaBOATER]

$5000 fine definately would have a detering effect from breaking fishing regs.
 Just think what ya could spent this money on.  Lots of things come to mind.
I bet they thought if they got caught it would be like a $300 fine or something....surely if they knew  the fine could be this much they would not of risked it.
Maybe there should be a weekly commercial on tv by the DFO.
 They could  have a dramatization if you do this then this will happen to ya....
Word then would spread like "wild-fire" amongest possible reg. breakers.

Come to think of it add a $5000 fine to "drunk drivers" or even speeders going say 30 km over the speed limit.
Roads would be alot safer.

Maybe Tiger's wife should have a clause that says ...she will fine him 25 million for each lady he slept with.

 BOTTOM LINE: The average person which most of us are...big fines will deter bad behavior.  A rich person isn't bother by $5000 fines.

[speycaster]

The only question now is will the fine be paid or will it just be added to the already millions of unpaid fines collecting dust in Victoria. Put them with bubba until the fines are paid would speed the process up. Bubba holding a large jar of vaseline would REALLY speed it up.   Paying your fines should be  required before you leave the cell for any offense.

[nosey]

This is good news, I'd sure like to see a little closer patrolling of the  summer salmon fishery now I've noticed picking up garbage off the bars that I sure find a lot of barbed hooks, I'm sure a five or six hundred dollar fine would be of some help there too.

[chris gadsden]

December 14, 2009
Fisheries and Oceans Canada: $3,000 Fine for Surrey Man Harvesting Shellfish From Quadra Island
CAMPBELL RIVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 14, 2009) - A recreational shellfish harvester received a large fine after pleading guilty to two offences under the Fisheries Act, in Campbell River Provincial Court October 19, 2009.

Surrey resident Ngoc Thanh Nguyen appeared before the Honourable Judge Eldon Iverson to answer charges of possessing quantities of shellfish that were more than twice the daily quota as prescribed under the conditions of his licence. Mr. Nguyen, who was supplied with an interpreter, was fined a total of $3,000 for being in possession of over-limit clams and over-limit oysters. He had a previous conviction and fine from June 2009 for fishing for clams in a contaminated area.

On August 21, 2009, Campbell River-based fishery officers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) received a complaint about persons seen harvesting clams in a contaminated area at Drew Harbour on Quadra Island. The complaint included detailed descriptions of the people involved and vehicle information. Acting on this information, fishery officers met the recreational harvesters when the Quadra Island ferry docked in Campbell River, and with the assistance of ferry staff, pulled their two cars aside for a compliance inspection.

Mr. Nguyen was found to be in possession of a total of 139 oysters, 79 of which were over the limit of his recreational harvesting licence, and 1,044 clams, 744 of which were over the limit of his licence. Mr. Nguyen stated that the shellfish had been harvested outside of the contaminated area, so the clams and oysters over the possession limit were seized and returned live to a closed-to-harvest area of the ocean.

Harvesting in contaminated areas can have serious consequences. Bivalve shellfish, which have a hinged, two-part shell and include oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and cockles, can be affected by paralytic shellfish poison (PSP, also known as red tide) and sanitary contamination. Eating bivalves that have been affected by PSP can result in serious illness or death. Cooking the fish prior to consumption does not destroy PSP or eliminate this risk.

Water and shellfish sampling programs are undertaken by Environment Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure that fishing areas are safe for shellfish harvesting. Areas that exceed allowable limits for PSP and sanitary contamination are closed by DFO, which prohibits shellfish harvesting.

DFO acts to end illegal fishing activities. As part of this work, the Department asks the general public for information on activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the toll-free reporting line at 1-800-465-4336.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
Leri Davies
Strategic Media Relations Advisor
604-666-8675
http://www-comm.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

[fish fishburn]

Nice to see that people with no respect of our natural resources getting busted for breaking the law. They shoud take there vehicles as well since they used them to get there to break the law.

[wizard]

Atleast in the shellfish harvesters/poachers, they posted their names.  I didn't see names about the sturgeon poachers.  They should have a site or something to post all the names of people caught poaching.  IMO if you're fishing illegally you are a poacher.  There's just no room for these people on our waterbodies.  Sad thing is most just claim ignorance, or when you try to bring it up to them in some cases they can't speak english.  Ignorance is no excuse. Stiff fines/strict enforcement is the only way to thward this problem.  in more severe cases (as in sturgeon poachers) they should have licenses (if they even had one) suspended for life.