Winnipeg men fined nearly $15k for fishing violations

Two men from Winnipeg, MB, have been fined nearly $15,000 in total for various fishing violations, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) said Monday.

The two men were each fined:

• $3,500 for obstructing a Fisheries Officer;
• $1,500 for making false and misleading statements to a Fisheries Officer;
• $1,200 for fishing for lake trout during a closed season;
• $500 for unlawfully using fish as bait; and
• $500 for fishing with barbed hooks in a restricted area.

One of the men was also fined $500 for fishing without a licence, and both have been prohibited from fishing in Ontario for two years. Their fishing equipment was also forfeited to the Crown.

Men made 'false and misleading statements'

In a media release, the MNRF said the case was heard in Kenora court on August 28.

The MNRF said a conservation officer was conducting a fisheries inspection, and encountered the two men at a cottage on Clearwater Bay, on Lake of the Woods, in March 2016. The officer found evidence of recent ice fishing activity in front of the cottage.

During the inspection, both men "made multiple false and misleading statements to the officer," the MNRF said, and a subsequent investigation found that both men had conducted illegal fishing activity, including using restricted fishing gear and fishing in a closed area.