Fishing boat owners fined for illegal tuna catch off Vancouver Island
The owners of a commercial fishing boat have been fined $6,000 after the vessel was caught with more than 30,000 pounds of illegally caught tuna off Vancouver Island last summer.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the vessel Ocean Provider was boarded by officers approximately 42 nautical miles off Barkley Sound, near Bamfield.
The fisheries officers were conducting a routine inspection when they discovered 2,250 albacore tuna – totalling approximately 14,495 kilograms – on board.
The vessel was escorted back to port by fisheries officers on the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Tanu.
The tuna, which the agency valued at $127,824, had been harvested despite the crew not being licensed to fish for tuna, the DFO said in a statement Wednesday.
The catch was seized and the vessel's owners pleaded guilty in court to fishing for albacore tuna without a licence between July 22 and Aug. 15, 2022.
A Port Alberni provincial court judge fined the owners on June 28 and upheld the seizure and forfeiture of the tuna.
The DFO asks anyone with information about illegal fishing in B.C. to call the agency's Pacific region reporting line 1-800-465-4336, or email details to DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Second Cup closes Montreal franchise over hateful incident
Second Cup Café has closed one of its franchise locations in Montreal following allegations of hateful remarks and gestures made by the franchisee in a video that was widely circulated online during a pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday.
‘It’s pretty emotional:’ N.B. family escape fire, plan to rebuild home
A family in Riverview, N.B., is making plans for Christmas and the future after escaping a fire in their home on November, 14.
Cargo ship runs aground in St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont.
A large cargo ship remains stuck in the St. Lawrence River after running aground on Saturday afternoon.
Scurvy resurgence highlights issues of food insecurity in Canada's rural and remote areas
A disease often thought to only affect 18th century sailors is reemerging in Canada.
B.C. man awarded $800K in damages after being injured by defective bear banger
A B.C. man has been awarded nearly $800,000 in damages as compensation for injuries he sustained from a defective bear banger, according to a recent court decision.
A man called 911 for help during a home invasion. Las Vegas police fatally shot him
A Las Vegas man called for police help during a home invasion before an officer fatally shot him, according to authorities and 911 calls.
Cat caught in hunting snare rescued by BC SPCA
Donations are ramping up for a BC SPCA cat with a mangled paw after being caught in a hunting snare, one of a rising number of pets to fall prey to the hunting device.
These royal residences are opening their doors this Christmas
Not so long ago, if you wanted to spend Christmas with the royal family, the only way to get close was to press your nose up to the TV screen during the monarch’s Christmas speech.
'Still working full time on it:' One year later police continue to search for gunman in Caledon double murder linked to ex-Olympian
One year after a couple was shot and killed in their Caledon home in what investigators have described as a case of mistaken identity, Ontario Provincial Police say they are still trying to figure out who pulled the trigger.