Two BC shellfish harvesters now face massive fines after being found guilty of illegally harvesting clams and oysters from a prohibited area without a license on Vancouver Island.
Additionally, the duo took much more than the allotted amount allowable under the Fisheries Act.
In February at the Courtenay Provincial Court, Richmond resident Diosa Delacruz and Nanaimo resident Rosemarie Allam were found guilty of retaining more than the daily quota for clams and oysters and for fishing without a licence.
Delacruz was fined $5,000 and was banned from fishing for one year, while Allam was fined $4,500 and received a two-year fishing ban.
According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), this case began with a site inspection by DFO officers in the Baynes Sound Recreational Shellfish Harvest Reserve (RSR).
The DFO found that in May 2024, the two offenders had harvested shellfish in the Baynes Sounds RSR, where commercial shellfish harvesting has been excluded or limited to support recreational harvesting.
This area, which is between Buckley Bay and Union Bay on Vancouver Island, covers approximately 14 hectares.
Delacruz and Allam had harvested a collective total of 262 Manila Clams and 151 oysters, with 222 of the clams being under the legal size limit.
According to the Fisheries Act, the daily limit for harvesting Manila Clams is 60, and the limit for oysters is 12.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to know the rules before they engage in any fishing activities, and to play their part in ensuring that BC’s shellfish populations and their habitats are protected and sustained,” said the DFO in a media release.
“The minimum size limit of 35 mm for Littleneck and Manila clams in the recreational fishery ensures that the clams will spawn at least once before they reach the legal size limit.”
They added that harvesting undersize clams threatens conservation as it impacts their ability to re-populate the beach, which can create unsustainable conditions.
Additionally, unlicensed harvesting can deplete shellfish and impact licensed harvesters, which can threaten benefits to coastal communities and traditional food sources for Indigenous people.
These fines were announced just one day after an Ontario man was fined for harvesting oysters without a license in the same area.
