A recreational fisherman has been fined $5,500 and given a one-year ban after pleading guilty to multiple Fisheries Act violations. Braden Lee Herback entered his pleas on March 31, according to a news release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada issued this week. The federal department did not specify what charges Herback pleaded guilty to, but online court records indicate he was sentenced for catching and retaining an undersized salmon, possessing fish whose size could not readily be determined and failing to comply with the terms and conditions of his licence. Additional charges of failing to maintain catch records and failing to produce his licence for authorities were stayed by the Crown. All of the charges were alleged to have occurred in Port Moody on Feb. 22, 2025. In its news release, the DFO said Herback had possessed 15 spot prawns carrying eggs and retained four Dungeness crabs in a condition that prevented fishery officers from determining their size and sex. The department also specified that the undersized salmon was a Chinook. “DFO reminds recreational harvesters that fishing licence conditions, catch recording requirements, size limits and species-specific retention rules are essential to protecting fish populations and supporting sustainable fisheries,” the release reads. “Harvesting undersized fish, retaining egg-bearing prawns, or altering fish and shellfish to prevent compliance verification are serious offences that can harm fish stocks and reduce benefits for Indigenous communities, coastal economies and future generations.” Dungeness crabs caught in B.C. can only be retained if they are male and have reached a minimum size of 165 millimetres, the DFO said, noting that these measures are intended to allow crabs to reproduce before they are harvested. “Female and undersized Dungeness crabs must be released immediately with minimal harm,” the release reads. Anyone who has information about suspected Fisheries Act violations in B.C. or the Yukon should call DFO Pacific Region’s violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336 or email DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, the department said.
