NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR – Two residents of Trout River have been convicted of illegal net fishing in inland waters, possession of illegally caught salmon and trout, and possession of a net near inland waters. In provincial court at Corner Brook in July 2008, Hilliard Snook was fined $1,200 and Martha Snook fined $750. Both individuals are prohibited for five years from being within ten metres of the inland waters or in the vicinity of a cabin located at Chimney Cove Brook. One salmon, 32 trout and fishing gear were forfeited. They were apprehended by fishery officers from the DFO Rocky Harbour detachment and provincial inland enforcement officers during a joint surveillance operation investigating salmon poaching in the Chimney Cove Brook area.
On August 26, 2008, two men from Parsons Pond were convicted of fishing snow crab in an unauthorized area. Roger Keough was fined $2,500 and Lewis Keough fined $2,000. In June, 2007, fishery officers on vessel patrol in the Portland area detected fishing buoys without legible identification numbers. The fishery officers retrieved the attached crab pots and determined from the identification tags that the men were not authorized to fish crab in area where their pots were set.
On June 24, 2008, in provincial court at Rocky Harbour, three fish harvesters from Trout River were convicted of not having their landed catch of cod weighed and verified by a dockside observer and for failing to complete a fishing logbook. George Crocker, Anthony Crocker and, in a separate case, Larry Crocker were each fined $700. The men were apprehended in September, 2007, by fishery officers and fishery guardians from the DFO Rocky Harbour detachment following a video surveillance and investigation in the community of Trout River.
Four individuals were convicted in provincial court at Plum Point on September 15, 2008. Todd Dredge of Black Duck Cove was fined $350.00 for obstruction. Mr. Dredge refused to allow an inspection of the bag he was carrying when approached by fishery guardians near the falls on Castor River on the Northern Peninsula.
Absalom Chambers of Plum Point was fined $100.00. A fishery officer from the DFO St. Anthony detachment on routine patrol near Blue Cove, during the 2008 commercial seal harvest, observed Mr. Chambers pelting seals. Upon inspection, it was determined that Mr. Chambers failed to bleed a harvested seal, which is a violation of seal licence conditions.
Two fish harvesters from Green Island Brook were fined $250.00 each for failing to hail in accurate catch totals and failure to complete an accurate fishing log. Laud Noseworthy and Primus Noseworthy were charged after an investigation by fishery officers from the DFO detachment in St. Anthony. A comparison of the harvesters' hail in information with the landed weight of their cod catch for July 4 and 5, 2007, revealed the discrepancies.
Sara Dunderdale
Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(709) 772-7626
NR-NL-08-34E
