A man from Scarborough, Ontario has been handed a hefty fine by the Courtenay Provincial Court in February for over-fishing oysters on Vancouver Island without a fishing license.
Raul Dumelod was found guilty by the court after Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) concluded an investigation into the oyster catching.
Dumelod was given a $5,500 fine for his actions.
The DFO says that this case resulted from a routine inspection that was conducted by fisheries officers throughout coastal BC to enforce the Fisheries Act.
According to fisheries officers, on August 29th, 2024, a routine patrol was conducted near the Buckley Bay/Union Bay area on Vancouver Island in an unmarked patrol vehicle during low tide.
“They observed Mr. Dumelod with a large bucket and approached him to confirm if he had been harvesting shellfish from the beach and had a valid licence to do so,” said DFO in a media release.
“They subsequently found that Mr. Dumelod also had two large buckets in his van filled with oysters and could not produce a valid tidal waters fishing licence.”
DFO officers found he was in possession of 312 oysters, which is 300 more than the daily limit of 12.
According to the DFO, the area where Dumelod was harvesting was clearly marked as a commercial oyster lease with no harvesting permitted.
Additionally, further signage in the area communicated that recreational oyster harvesting was permitted nearby, just 0.3 km north of where he was caught harvesting.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to know the rules before they go out on the water, and to play their part in ensuring that BC’s fish species and their habitats are protected and sustained,” said the DFO.
“It is especially important for tourists to make sure they are fully informed of the rules on where and what they can fish and, in the case of shellfish, where harvesting poses a risk to human health.”
The DFO says that there are over 400 species of shellfish with two shells found along the coast of BC, but only a handful are targeted for harvest.
The risks of harvesting shellfish illegally are many, and include the risk of shellfish populations being depleted, First Nations not having access to shellfish harvesting and harvesting from a contaminated site that could cause serious illness.
