A commercial fishing vessel has been fined after retaining and selling fish caught in the Haida Gwaii Archipelago.
On May 25th of this year, Stefan Grega, owner of the fishing vessel the Pacific Sunrise, pled guilty to committing violations of Canada’s Fisheries Act.
According to a release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the fine stems from the 2022-2023 halibut fishery.
It was during this time that Grega was caught illegally keeping and selling fish caught in the Haida Gwaii Archipelago during a specific species closure.
The DFO manages groundfish fisheries for seven commercial sectors on the Pacific Coast. These fisheries are highly regulated to conserve stocks and support the economic well-being of communities who fish there.
The groundfish fisheries include species such as groundfish trawl, halibut, sablefish, inside rockfish, outside rockfish, lingcod and dogfish.
Because Grega was caught fishing within a closed fishery, the court imposed a $30,000 fine, and ordered Grega to pay an additional $6,989.35, which represents proceeds from the illegal harvest.
If anyone ever has any information on illegal fishing activity, they can report it to the DFO at 1-800-465-4336, or via email.
