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Four fined for illegal scallop fishing in St. Mary’s Bay
St. John’s… Four men have been convicted in St. John’s Provincial Court of illegal scallop fishing offences.
On February 1, 2006, Trevor Legrow and Kenneth Noseworthy, of St. John’s, were each fined $1000 for recreationally fishing scallop in St. Mary’s Bay, an area closed to recreational scallop fishing. Phillip Reid of Bell Island was fined as a result of the same incident for recreationally fishing scallop without a license.
Ronald King, the fourth person involved, appeared in provincial court on February 8, 2006 and was fined $1,000 for recreationally fishing scallop in a closed area.
On December 4, 2005, all four men were fishing scallop recreationally using scuba gear and were in possession of 343 scallops when apprehended by Fishery Officers from the Placentia Detachment. Officers were conducting a stakeout of the area after receiving complaints of recreational scallop fishing in the closed area.
On February 3, 2006, in provincial court in St. John’s, Kenneth Williams, of Bay Bulls, was fined $750 for exceeding his cod bycatch in the winter flounder fishery.
Fishery officers from the Bay Roberts Detachment charged Mr. Williams after reviewing his catch landing records from the 2004 winter flounder fishery. The records showed he exceeded his cod bycatch by 628 lbs while fishing winter flounder in 3L.
Grand Bank
Russell Simms Jr., of Fortune, was convicted in Grand Bank Provincial Court of illegal possession of scallops and halibut, and fined $1,000.
An inspection found Mr. Simms in possession of 30 lbs of sea scallops and two undersized halibut, which were offloaded from the vessel without being monitored by a Dockside Observer, breaching his licence condition requiring dockside monitoring.
The undersized halibut, found in Mr. Simms possession, were harvested as bycatch and, under regulations, should have been returned to the ocean.
In June 2005, Fishery Officers from the Marystown Detachment conducted an inspection of a large scallop vessel. Officers were responding complaints that fish was being illegally offloaded from the vessel.
For more information:
Sam Whiffen
Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(709) 772-7631
Susan Keough
Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(709) 772-7628
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