The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) says the penalties handed out to four people found guilty of taking more than the daily allowance of yellow eye rockfish near Egmont are among the toughest ever imposed on recreational anglers.
Fisheries officer Ben Rahier said the charges were laid in 2017 after the group was found with “far in excess” of the one-fish limit, and the case wrapped up June 21 in Sechelt Provincial Court.
The judge handed down a total of $15,000 in fines, banned all four from fishing for a year, and ordered the forfeiture of a boat and fishing gear, which were also valued at $15,000.
“It was a really big precedent as far as fine amounts and the forfeiture of a vessel as it relates to a recreational file,” Rahier said. “Fines of that nature are more common when there’s a commercial aspect… It’s showing the importance the general public places on that resource.”
Several areas of the Sunshine Coast are within DFO’s rockfish conservation areas.
“Rockfish are very, very susceptible to overharvest because they’re so long-lived,” Rahier explained. “They can’t spawn until they’re 15 or 20 years old so it takes a long time to rebuild stocks that get depleted.”
Meanwhile, Rahier said the illegal harvesting of shellfish and taking them from areas that are closed because of contamination remains a focus of enforcement and education for DFO on the Sunshine Coast.
“That is what I spend the majority of my time dealing with,” he said, adding that harvesting potentially contaminated shellfish can lead to serious public health concerns.
Rahier also said anglers are adapting to new catch limits for Chinook salmon that were set to help preserve the food supply for southern resident killer whales.
“There has been some confusion about why that limit was changed, but as far as compliance with the new limit, I haven’t encountered anybody that has broken it yet,” Rahier said. “People may be displeased with it, but it appears that everybody is adhering to the new regulation.”
Rahier said answering questions about new regulations, or making sure visitors to the area know what the restrictions are, is a big part of his work during the summer months and anyone heading out for some fishing or shellfish collecting should check the DFO website for updated information on closures or other restrictions and pay attention for warning signs posted at beaches or docks.
People who see possible violations should contact the DFO’s “observe, record, report” line at 1-800-465-4336.
