More than $100K in fines issued for illegal fishing along B.C. coast, DFO says
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is publicizing three recent court decisions resulting in more than $100,000 in fines for three people convicted of violations of the Fisheries Act.
The first of the three fines was issued on Oct. 31, but the DFO shared details of the case in a news release on Tuesday.
The federal agency said commercial fisherman Adrian Slavko Kern was fined a total of $49,704.68 after pleading guilty to Fisheries Act violations in Prince Rupert provincial court.
Kern's fine included $25,000 for illegally setting fishing gear, plus $24,704.68 for the illegal sale of fish, the DFO said.
"The court judgment also prohibited Mr. Kern from applying for a new commercial fishing licence and from fishing under any commercial licence for a period of eight months," the agency said in its release.
The DFO added that Kern's illegal fishing happened from Sept. 13 to 19, 2018, when he was fishing commercially for halibut and sablefish in the Chatham Sound area near Prince Rupert, which was closed for harvest.
In determining the penalty Kern would face, the judge considered his three previous convictions under the Fisheries Act, which occurred in 2003, 2005 and 2020, according to the DFO.
On Thursday, the federal department announced two other recent Fisheries Act convictions, including another one related to illegal fishing in Chatham Sound.
Commercial crab harvester Truc Hoang Le was fined a total of $20,000 in a January Prince Rupert provincial court decision after being found guilty of "numerous violations" of the act, according to the DFO.
The agency said Le "failed to follow the regulations by ensuring that the electronic monitoring system was accurately monitoring the vessel 24 hours per day, seven days per week, while engaged in fishing" between April 15 and May 4, 2018.
Most of his fine – $18,000 – was for failing to comply with the conditions of his commercial crab licence, while the remaining $2,000 was for other Fisheries Act violations, the DFO said.
A third fisherman was fined a total of $44,000 for violations that occurred in Rivers Inlet, B.C. from March 27 to April 15, 2019.
The DFO said commercial crab harvester Sou Tac Ma was found guilty in Port Hardy provincial court on Dec. 21. He was fined $21,500 for fishing commercial for crab during a closed time, and $22,500 for fishing without a valid commercial harvest licence.
Across the three unrelated cases, the three men were fined a total of $113,704.68.
"The Government of Canada is committed to protecting Canada’s wildlife and biodiversity," the DFO said in its release.
"This includes safeguarding the long-term health and productivity of Canada’s fisheries resources, and the habitat that supports them, for generations to come."
The agency asks anyone with information on illegal fishing activities to call Crime Stoppers or the DFO Pacific region's reporting line: 1-800-465-4336. Information can also be emailed to DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.