Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has fined three men more than $110,000 for separate fishing violations of BC’s north coast.
On Tuesday, the federal government department issued a news release saying commercial fisherman Adrian Slavko Kern was fined a total of $49,704.68 for violating Canada’s Fisheries Act.
According to the release, Kern pleaded guilty in Prince Rupert Provincial Court and was ordered to pay a fine of $25,000 for illegally setting fishing gear in the Chatham Sound area near Prince Rupert, which was closed for harvest.
He was also ordered to make an additional $24,706 for the illegal sale of fish. Kern was banned from applying for a new commercial fishing licence and from fishing under a commercial licence for 8 months.
DFO says Kern has three prior convictions for violations under the Fisheries Act from 2003, 2005 and 2020, which the Judge took into consideration in his sentencing.
On Thursday, DFO issued a second news release saying commercial crab harvester Sou Tac Ma was found guilty of two violations of the Fisheries Act and fined a total of $44,000.
“Ma, vessel master of the GOLDEN PHOENIX, was fined $21,500 for fishing commercially for crab in Rivers Inlet during a closed time between March 27 and April 2, 2019, and $22,500 for fishing without a valid commercial harvest licence in the same area between April 1 and April 15, 2019,” says the release.
A second commercial crab harvester Truc Hoang Le was found guilty of numerous violations of the Fisheries Act and fined $20,000.
Le was fined $18,000 for failing to comply with his commercial fishing licence between April 15 and May 4, 2018 in the Chatham Sound near Prince Rupert
DFO says Le failed to follow regulations by ensuring his ship's electronic monitoring system was operating accurately. He was fined an additional $2,000 for additional violations.
"The Government of Canada is committed to protecting Canada’s wildlife and biodiversity," says the release.
"Fishery officers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) work hard to conserve and protect the environment."
Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, DFO Pacific region’s toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336, or email the details to [email protected].
