February 8, 2007
VANCOUVER, B.C. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced today that the illegal possession of undersized crab from Burrard Inlet has led to guilty pleas by two individuals.
On February 10, 2006, DFO fishery officers were in Burnaby, B.C., at Berry Point when they observed Zhan Neng Cai, a resident of Maple Ridge, fishing for crabs. Shey Kum Wong, a resident of North Vancouver, was the driver of the vehicle where the crabs were being stored for transportation. An inspection of the vehicle's trunk revealed a total of 21 crabs. Of these crabs, 11 were undersized Dungeness crabs and one was an undersized Red Rock crab. As a result, the officers seized four crab traps and two measuring devices. All of the crabs were released live back into the water.
Recently, Mr. Cai and Mr. Wong pled guilty in Vancouver provincial court and were each fined $800, totaling $1,600 in fines. Courts in Vancouver are handing out sizeable penalties for illegal harvest of crabs from Burrard Inlet. The total fine for this offence is equivalent to $150 for each undersized crab that was caught and retained. The men's fishing gear, including traps and measuring devices, was also forfeited. This was a first offence for both individuals.
DFO has set crab harvesting size restrictions to help ensure that young crab have a chance to populate. The minimum size limit for Dungeness crab is 165 millimetres and for Red Rock crab it is 115 millimetres.
DFO acts to end illegal fishing activity. As part of this work, the Department is asking the general public for information on activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michelle Imbeau
Communications Advisor
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
604-666-2872
