A property owner near Cumberland has been given a significant fine for disrupting a riverbank that has been deemed a vital fish habitat.
David Tingley, the property owner in question, had made alterations to the riverbank of Trent River, and had not sought out the appropriate authorizations to do so prior to destroying the bank.
The Trent River is known to be an important fish-bearing watercourse, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). The river is particularly important for local salmon populations.
On May 15th, 2020, Tingley’s destructive work had been identified by the DFO, who ordered him to remediate the damage done in one-month’s time.
Tingley failed to remediate his work, which led to charges being laid against him and a subsequent fine.
On January 23rd, Tingley was found guilty of failing to correct work that he had done illegally on his property that affected fish and fish habitat on the Trent River.
His fine has been determined to amount $60,000.
This fine will be going towards the DFO’s Environmental Damages Fund for the conservation and protection of salmon and salmon habitat in the Vancouver Island region.
“Protecting fish and fish habit [sic] is vital to help sustain and support Canada’s precious marine species,” said DFO in a media release.
“Under Canada’s Fisheries Act, measures must be taken to avoid causing the death of fish and any harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat when conducting any work or activities in or near water.”
DFO’s mandate is to protect and conserve marine resources, and part of this involves investigating and disrupting illegal activities.
Any information on illegal activities that could impact fish, or fish habitats, can be reported to DFO Pacific Region’s toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336, or, via email.
