[GrandA]

I came accross this article in the Vancouver Sun today - Glad they got these suckers, pretty heafty fines too..


Recreational anglers fined for overfishing
Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER- A recreational fisherman from Port Coquitlam was fined $3,000 in North Vancouver provincial court on January 10, 2008, after pleading guilty to exceeding the daily quota for rockfish and obstructing a fishery officer, a press release from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans said Tuesday.

The court also prohibited Bo Qiang Huang from fishing or obtaining a fishing licence for five years, the release said. In the same case, Xiao Ping Hua and Ngan Chu Wong Chiu of Port Coquitlam were fined $2,000 each on Jan. 10 after pleading guilty to exceeding the daily quota for rockfish. The Court also prohibited Huang and Chiu from fishing or obtaining a fishing licence for one year.

The DFO said fishery officers observed Huang, Hua and Chiu fishing from a vessel in West Vancouver Aug. 14 of last year. Huang emptied a cooler containing 45 rockfish into the water after being told repeatedly by fishery officers to put the cooler down, the release said.

Due to the air bladders inside rockfish, the dead fish floated at the surface and were retrieved by fishery officers," the release said.

Recent monitoring and research programs have indicated that inshore rockfish stocks, especially in the Strait of Georgia, are at low levels. Rockfish can live to be well over 100 years old and many will not reproduce until they are 10 to 15 years old. Rockfish productivity is very low and they rarely survive after being caught and released.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=51ea0c3d-34e2-4302-b935-1b368c96628f&k=2585

 

[11th Warrior]

All that over rockfish? He should have at least targeted a fish that TASTES good, LOL.

Good to see they nabbed the bad guys this time!! I think the fine could/should have been higher but then again, if I made the rules I'd catch all the fish :thumbup:

 

[kaitlyn]

It's exactly this kind of blatant ignorance, that has caused the dramatic decline in Rockfish locally. Couple the late reproductive age with the fact that they tend not to stray from one particular area, making them particularly vulnerable. Once you find them, you can stay in that one place, and catch them all, which is exactly what idiots like this do, with all too much regularity.

 

[fishnfvr]

Maybe they also should have confiscated the guys boats! Maybe that would make them think twice.

 

[Every Day]

Maybe they also should have confiscated the guys boats! Maybe that would make them think twice.

Didnt they do something like this a few years ago on the Fraser ??? I though I heard of DFO confinscating a camper after people were caught with 200 illegal sockeye during a closure. Maybe it was a diff river but I'm sure they could have.

 

[marko]

DFO needs to get hard core with these baffoons and make it hurt....

 

[Daniel]

It's a pretty weak message to send. It's a paltry fine. I agree that the boat should be confiscated. It would certainly make poaching difficult for these knuckleheads.

 

[Cirrostratus]

We don't hear enough of these type of arrests; there aren't enough officers to patrol all the areas. Ideally we shouldn't need them. Didn't these poachers mothers ever slap their hands when they went into the cookie jar too many times.

 

[Giuseppe]

I came accross this article in the Vancouver Sun today - Glad they got these suckers, pretty heafty fines too..


Recreational anglers fined for overfishing
Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER- A recreational fisherman from Port Coquitlam was fined $3,000 in North Vancouver provincial court on January 10, 2008, after pleading guilty to exceeding the daily quota for rockfish and obstructing a fishery officer, a press release from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans said Tuesday.

The court also prohibited Bo Qiang Huang from fishing or obtaining a fishing licence for five years, the release said. In the same case, Xiao Ping Hua and Ngan Chu Wong Chiu of Port Coquitlam were fined $2,000 each on Jan. 10 after pleading guilty to exceeding the daily quota for rockfish. The Court also prohibited Huang and Chiu from fishing or obtaining a fishing licence for one year.

The DFO said fishery officers observed Huang, Hua and Chiu fishing from a vessel in West Vancouver Aug. 14 of last year. Huang emptied a cooler containing 45 rockfish into the water after being told repeatedly by fishery officers to put the cooler down, the release said.

Due to the air bladders inside rockfish, the dead fish floated at the surface and were retrieved by fishery officers," the release said.

Recent monitoring and research programs have indicated that inshore rockfish stocks, especially in the Strait of Georgia, are at low levels. Rockfish can live to be well over 100 years old and many will not reproduce until they are 10 to 15 years old. Rockfish productivity is very low and they rarely survive after being caught and released.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=51ea0c3d-34e2-4302-b935-1b368c96628f&k=2585

the great news is that he is not going to fish for the next 5 years! :drunk:

 

[bronjuan]

[/quote]

the great news is that he is not going to fish for the next 5 years! :drunk:
[/quote]

Now he just won't pay for a license...

 

[Albafly]

I like the idea of long bans from fishing. Especially in cases like this where it is a blatant disregard for the rules, and they knew they were in the wrong. Ban them for 5 or ten years, then for life if they get caught again!

 

[Sinaran]

That's a very lame fine the DFO hand out, other than confiscating the boat and gears, the fine amounts should also be at least doubled!

 

[Steve-O]

I agree, the $3000 isnt much considering what he was doing, and i assuming how long he has been doing it. The 5 year suspension although it is severe, someone who has clearly no respect for the rules like this yahoo, will probably be back out in a week or 2. I agree, they shoulda hit him where it hurts...boat, gear, vehicle, license and set an example with someone like that.

 

[05fxstdi]

RE: That's a very lame fine the DFO hand out..

I think this would not be up to the DFO, The DFO are just provincial police officers who enforce the fishery act.
These individuals commited a criminal act under the fisheries act, The DFO can seize property used in the commision of the offence. It would be most likely that our lame justice system and slack judges allowed the property to be given back and ordered the fine etc.

Our justice system needs to be revamped so people who commit these offences are tought a lesson and will never do it again as well set an example for others.


Rod

 

[Giuseppe]

It's a pretty weak message to send. It's a paltry fine. I agree that the boat should be confiscated. It would certainly make poaching difficult for these knuckleheads.

it is interesting to read about these fines. but I really think 5 years of license confiscated and all that money should be enough to learn the lesson, which I think it is the main point of all the story, isn't?

 

[boatswamper]

If the guy was dumping his cooler while the DFO was telling him not to, you know he knew what he was doing was wrong. They should have fined him more as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Giuseppe]

If the guy was dumping his cooler while the DFO was telling him not to, you know he knew what he was doing was wrong. They should have fined him more as far as I'm concerned.

??? more than 2000$ and more than 5 years without fishing? ???
so, the question is: what do you think they should do to people that enter your house and still a TV. Kill the person? or put him in jail for the rest of his life? I don't understand...

giuseppe

 

[Steve-O]

If the guy was dumping his cooler while the DFO was telling him not to, you know he knew what he was doing was wrong. They should have fined him more as far as I'm concerned.

??? more than 2000$ and more than 5 years without fishing? ???
so, the question is: what do you think they should do to people that enter your house and still a TV. Kill the person? or put him in jail for the rest of his life? I don't understand...

giuseppe

Definitly, hit him with the wallet, I highly doubt the 5 years of fishing is going to stop a person like that, he will just keep fishing without a license...then whatcha think DFO should do make it 10 years, and tell him they mean it?

 

[J-GLOBAL]

45 rockfish!
And they knew it was wrong. Meaning they were doing it on purpose, and would probably have moved on to do it somewhere else again. And probably had done it before.

Confiscate the boat.

$10,000 fine.

Banned from a fishing license for life.

 

[Steve-O]

45 rockfish!
And they knew it was wrong. Meaning they were doing it on purpose, and would probably have moved on to do it somewhere else again. And probably had done it before.

Confiscate the boat.

$10,000 fine.

Banned from a fishing license for life.

:beerchug: