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NR-PR-06-001e |
February 21, 2006 |
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COMMERCIAL GILLNET FISHER FINED FOR BREACHING LICENCE CONDITIONS
Prince Rupert, B.C. – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced today that a commercial salmon gillnet fisherman was fined $2,500 for breaching licence conditions by having fish on board his vessel prior to a commercial salmon fishery.
On June 30, 2003, Prince Rupert fishery officers were conducting fish hold inspections of commercially licensed salmon gillnet vessels prior to the salmon gillnet opening in Area 3 near the mouth of Portland Inlet, B.C. The commercial fishing vessel, Maypol, was inspected by fishery officers and was found to have 172 fish on board that were caught under the authority of a communal licence issued to the First Nations community of Lax kw’alaams in Port Simpson, prior to the commercial salmon fishery.
All vessels fishing in this commercial fishery (according to the conditions of licence) are not allowed to have fish on board their vessel six hours prior or twelve hours after the commercial fishery. This licence condition was introduced to separate fish caught under authority of an aboriginal food fish licence which prohibits sale of fish caught under a licence.
On November 15, 2005, the skipper of the vessel, Donald Clifford Reece, pled guilty in Prince Rupert provincial court for breaching licence conditions. Mr. Reece was fined $2,500, and the proceeds from the sale of illegal fish ($1,879) were forfeited to the Crown.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is extremely concerned with this type of illegal activity and asks for the continued assistance from the general public and commercial fishers for information on activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the 24-hour, toll-free Observe, Record, and Report line at 1-800-465-4336.
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For more information:
Jeanette Lam |