A Toronto man has been fined $5,500 for harvesting 25 times more oysters than the daily limit while vacationing on Vancouver Island last year.
A provincial court judge in Courtenay, B.C., found Scarborough resident Raul Dumelod guilty last month of catching and retaining oysters over the daily limit and fishing without a valid licence, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in a news release Friday.
The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on Aug. 29, 2024, in Buckley Bay, B.C.
On that date, DFO fishery officers were patrolling in an unmarked vehicle during low tide, according to the federal department’s release.
“They observed Mr. Dumelod with a large bucket and approached him to confirm if he had been harvesting shellfish from the beach and had a valid licence to do so,” the release reads.
“They subsequently found that Mr. Dumelod also had two large buckets in his van filled with oysters and could not produce a valid tidal waters fishing licence. Fishery officers found 312 oysters, which is 300 more than the daily limit of 12.”
Officers were also concerned by the location where Dumelod was spotted, which the DFO said was “clearly marked as a commercial oyster lease with no harvesting permitted.”
There was a recreational oyster harvesting area about 300 metres north of Dumelod’s location, according to the department.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to know the rules before they go out on the water, and to play their part in ensuring that B.C.’s fish species and their habitats are protected and sustained,” the DFO said. “It is especially important for tourists to make sure they are fully informed of the rules on where and what they can fish and, in the case of shellfish, where harvesting poses a risk to human health.”
The fisheries officers confiscated Dumelod’s catch “successfully reseeded” the seized oysters on “the appropriate beach near the water’s edge,” the DFO said.
It advised anyone with information about illegal fishing activities to contact the DFO Pacific Region’s toll-free reporting line at 1-800-465-4336 or to email the details to DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
