Three B.C. anglers have been banned from fishing for a year and fined $17,500 for illegally harvesting rockfish and lingcod north of Powell River in 2021.
Provincial court Justice Lisa Mrozinski found Da Zhou, Zhao Chen and Ngai Chau guilty of violating recreational fishing regulations and obstruction of justice last month, but her decision has not yet been published online.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada shared details of the decision in a news release Thursday.
According to the DFO, the investigation began on the morning of Aug. 10, 2021, when a member of the public called the department's "Observe, Record, Report" line. The caller reported a group of people who "appeared to be retaining fish over their daily limit" while fishing north of Lund, B.C., near Divers Rock Regional District Park.
Fishery officers responded and approached the men on the beach to conduct an inspection, the DFO said.
"Upon seeing the officers, the anglers split up, ran in opposite directions along the shoreline and attempted to discard their catch," the department said in its release.
"Once detained, the men initially refused to engage with the officers. Following an investigation, fishery officers seized a total of nine rockfish and one undersized lingcod as evidence and charges were subsequently laid under the Fisheries Act, including for obstruction."
The three men were found guilty of obstruction and Fisheries Act violations in Powell River provincial court. On Nov. 16, Mrozinski ordered them to pay a total of $17,500 in combined fines, and banned them each from fishing for a year. She also ordered them to forfeit all gear involved in the violations – including rods, reels and lures – to the Crown.
"Each year, approximately 300,000 tidal water recreational fishing licences are issued in B.C.," the DFO said. "It is the responsibility of each angler to know the rules for the area where they are fishing before they go out, as these can change during the season. In all fisheries, repetitive, excessive harvesting poses a significant risk to the sustainability of Canada’s aquatic resources."
Licensed recreational anglers are limited to one rockfish and one lingcod per day, and lingcod must be at least 65 centimetres in length to be harvested, according to the DFO.
