Snow crab and lobster fishery violations - Gulf Nova Scotia area

Antigonish, N.S. - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Gulf Region, announced the latest sentences imposed on fish harvesters for violating the lobster and snow crab fisheries regulations, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Robert Fitzgerald Jadis of the Abegweit First Nation, Prince Edward Island, pleaded guilty in Port Hood Provincial Court on April 21, 2010, to having fished snow crab gear inside the closed Crab Fishing Area (CFA) 18 buffer zone in 2009. Fishery officers from the Cheticamp Detachment laid charges against Jadis under Section 7 of the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations. Provincial Court Judge Laurel Halfpenny MacQuarrie imposed a $4,000 fine to Jadis.

Joseph G. Timmons, Brennan G. Timmons, and Donald A. Bishop, of Cheticamp, Nova Scotia, pleaded guilty in Port Hood Provincial Court on March 24, 2010, to having been in possession of lobsters less than 78mm in the northern portion of Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 26B, contrary to Section 57(2) of the Atlantic Fishery Regulations, 1985.

Provincial Court Judge Laurel Halfpenny MacQuarrie imposed a $7,000 fine to Joseph Timmons, while Brennan Timmons and Donald Bishop each received a $2,000 fine. The court judge prohibited the three men from participating in the fishery for the first  7 days of the 2010  fishery in LFA 26B. Joseph G. Timmons was also prohibited by the court from transferring his commercial fishing license or vessel to someone else during the first week of lobster fishery.
 
DFO is committed to the conservation and protection of aquatic resources in Canadian waters  Anyone wishing to report suspicious fishing activities should do so by contacting their nearest DFO office or the Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Centre at 1‑800‑565‑1633.