NL

FISH-NL VP, Cold Water Cowboys star fined $14K for overfishing

Richard Gillett, the vice-president of FISH-NL, has been fined $14,000 after pleading guilty to overfishing capelin on two separate occasions in 2016.

Richard Gillett pleaded guilty to three fishery violations

Richard Gillett made headlines in April for holding a hunger strike outside a DFO office in St. John's. (Gary Locke/CBC)

FISH-NL's vice president and Cold Water Cowboys star has been ordered to pay $14,000 in fines for overfishing capelin on two separate occasions in 2016. 

Richard Gillett pleaded guilty to three violations of the Fisheries Act on Thursday morning in provincial court in Gander. He admitted to catching more than the daily amount of capelin near Bridgeport in August 2016, and near Port de Grave in July 2016.

Gillett held a commercial capelin license at the time.

Gillett also pleaded guilty to a third breach, that he had undersized herring near his home in Twillingate in November 2016.

Altogether, Gillett was ordered to pay $14,000 in fines for the three violations. He has also received a one day fishing prohibition.

He's well-known for his involvement in the Discovery Channel's show Cold Water Cowboys and with the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador, or FISH-NL.