Three Alberta anglers fined $30K for coolers full of illegal catch in BC
Three anglers from Alberta have been fined $10,000 each after they were found to have violated the Fisheries Act back in 2019.
The Government of Canada has announced that on May 26, in a Prince Rupert Provincial Court, the three anglers were ordered to pay a total of $30,000 and were slapped with a ban on fishing for two years.
“This follows a guilty judgement handed down on October 17, 2022, for Giorri Anufriev, Anikita Barsukoff and Joseph Martushevi,” the news release stated.
The group was found guilty of numerous infractions of the Fisheries Act in July 2019, including possessing fish in excess of their daily licence limit, possessing fish where the species could not be readily determined, and possessing fish where the size could not be readily determined.
The Government of Canada says an investigation done by fishery officers was “triggered four years ago by a tip from a concerned member of the public about a group of men trying to process a large amount of pacific halibut.”
Fishery officers eventually conducted an inspection at a commercial outlet and found that, contrary to the conditions of the licence, the group had cut up their catch into chunks so the size and number of fish could not be determined.
Officers then located the anglers at their hotel and found five more coolers of various species of rockfish, including lingcod and Yelloweye — a species that is illegal to retain recreationally. The halibut, totalling in excess of 150 lbs, was seized and used as evidence for the investigation.
Government of Canada
British Columbia has rules and regulations that apply to recreational fishing to ensure the sustainability of the fishery. These regulations include possession limits as well as minimum and maximum size limits.
If you plan on fishing in BC, refer to the BC Sport Fishing regulations, Fishery Notices, or use the FishingBC App to access up-to-date information on recreational fisheries.
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