Three Vancouver area men have pled guilty in provincial court for their roles in a fish poaching case described as one of the biggest ever on the Sunshine Coast.
Last week in Sechelt provincial court, the accused, Rong Liang, Chin Liu and David Mah, entered guilty pleas to the charges of possessing undersize ling cod, possessing over the legal limit of ling cod, possessing over the legal limit of rock fish, providing false information and possessing halibut during a closed time. The men were given fines totaling more than $7,000 with the largest single fine of $2,500.
Sea to Sky traffic services pulled over a vehicle the men were driving near Egmont on Sept. 30.
"The occupants of the vehicle stated they had been fishing and when questioned more closely by the officer, it was determined that an inspection of their catch was necessary," said Sunshine Coast RCMP Cpl. Steve Chubey.
"Fisheries were asked to attend and the search yielded three large coolers which housed 38 fish, a mixture of rock fish, ling cod and halibut. Fisheries seized the fish, rods and tackle of the three male occupants of the vehicle."
"The actions of these men will have a long-term environmental effect on the fish populations of this area for many years," added Fisheries officer Robert Kaatz. "Some of these fish were over 80 years old, and others do not reach sexual maturity until they are 14 to 16 years old."
