NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR – Provincial courts recently convicted five individuals of fishery offences following investigations by fishery officers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) detachments in Placentia and Marystown.
On July 21, 2009 at provincial court in St. John’s, Anthony Gilbert of Foxtrap was convicted of permitting a person not named in his licence to operate his vessel, and was fined $750. William MacDonald of St. John’s was convicted of fishing whelk without a licence and was fined $500.
Fishery officers from the Placentia detachment inspected Mr. Gilbert’s fishing vessel, Cape Mariner, at port in O’Donnell’s, St. Mary’s Bay on November 6, 2008. The investigation revealed that Mr. MacDonald was operating the vessel while retrieving whelk pots, and he was not the licence holder or designated operator of the enterprise.
On June 24, 2009 in provincial court at Clarenville, Keith Drake of Lawn and Theresa Best of Southern Harbour were convicted of fishing with groundfish gillnets without identification tags attached. Both were fined $500.
Fishery officers from the Placentia detachment conducted and inspection of groundfish gillnets near Little Harbour, Placentia Bay on February 17, 2009 and discovered that 22 of the 23 gillnets did not have a valid gillnet tag attached.
On July 8, 2009 in provincial court at Grand Bank, Dennis Ellis of St. John’s was convicted of misreporting catch in his fishing logbook, a condition of his licence. He was fined $500.
On February 17, 2009 fishery officers from the Marystown Detachment inspected the fishing vessel Jean Colette in Burin and discovered a number of Atlantic halibut in the hold of the vessel that were not recorded in the vessel logbook.
DFO is committed to the conservation and protection of marine resources in Newfoundland and Labrador. Anyone wishing to report suspicious fishing activities may do so by contacting their nearest DFO office or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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For more information:
Sam Whiffen, Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(709) 772-7631
NR-NL-09-39
