Notorious marine poacher found guilty of illegally harvesting and selling sea cucumbers

A B.C. fisherman has been found guilty of illegally harvesting and selling sea cucumber, adding to his long list of fishing violations. 

Scott Steer was found guilty of six counts, including breaching court prohibitions against possessing or acquiring fishing gear. 

His wife, Melissa — the sole director and shareholder of a numbered company involved in the sea cucumber scheme — was also found guilty of illegally selling sea cucumbers. 

In his judgment, B.C. Supreme Court Justice David Crerar said the numbered company was a "sham" created to evade fishing prohibitions. 

"It served at all times as an alter ego of its operating and directing mind, Mr. Steer. The evidence also establishes that Melissa Steer was fully involved in this deceptive and evasive plan."

According to court documents, Steer was arrested in early March 2020 at North Vancouver's Shipyards after crew on a passing Seabus noticed "what appeared to be illegal crab harvesting."

A Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) team was sent to look into it, and as it approached, the boat sped away, leading to a high-speed boat chase. Just before Steer was arrested, he threw his phone into the ocean. Two others were arrested at the time, and their phones remained dry and intact.

Investigators found out about Steer's sea cucumber scheme through one of those phones, kicking off a larger investigation into his poaching activities. His home was searched, and DFO officers found all kinds of fishing gear, documents and bags of dried sea cucumbers. 

The  judge described the evidence against Steer as "extensive, exhausting, convincing, comprehensive, and corroborative."

Sea cucumbers are typically about the size of a cucumber and have the consistency of a raw oyster. They're seen as a delicacy in some cultures and can be bought frozen, soaked or dried, according to the Michelin guide. 

Retired DFO officer Randy Nelson says sea cucumber is a lucrative business and can net sellers "$10 a pound raw" and upwards of $100 per pound dry. 

Financial evidence showed that Steer made over $1 million off nearly 40,000 kilograms of sea cucumber.

"It's mega dollars," Nelson said. 

Repeat offender

Nelson, who has written two books about the prevalence of poaching in B.C., says that Steer has been a repeat offender for years. 

Since 2008, there have been over a dozen Fisheries and Oceans files on Steer. He's faced jail time, a ban on fishing in Canadian waters and thousands of dollars in fines. 

"Scott was brought up at an early age," he told All Points West host Jason D'Souza. "As young as six years old, he was on his father's vessel and learned how to do things the wrong way." 

"He is undoubtedly one of the, if not the biggest poacher the province has."