Four View Royal residents found with 125 crab – most of which were female and undersized

[agentaqua]

http://victoriabuzz.com/2016/07/sooke-rcmp-bust-four-view-royal-residents-with-125-crab/

 

[WayWest]

Ya this is disgusting. It makes you wonder how many prolific poachers there are for other species like Halibut and Salmon that go unnoticed and unpunished. I would fully support more policing of fishing regulations to catch more people like this

 

[Rockfish]

This is not a case of someone mixing a barbed hootchie they just got at a garage sale in with all the other barbless ones in their tackle box and forgetting to pinch it and putting it down by accident or missing something or being confused by the convoluted and constantly changing goal posts that constitute the sport regulations, or even being a hair width under on the size of a male crab. We are all capable of making mistakes of this nature on rare occasion despite reasonable efforts and a good faith intention not to. This, however, is a case of large scale commercial level theft, including undersize female breeder crabs, and with no concern for conservation. If they were caught once they have likely done it dozens of times and will continue to do it. Education perhaps with a small fine may be appropriate in the former situations but in this case, they should throw the book at them. Fines in the thousands of dollars range and consideration for permanent confiscation of gear, boat and/or vehicle. If your fishing at a commercial level and with a good probability of back door sales to restaurants etc, and a low probability of getting caught, you have to make it cost more than the ongoing profit, otherwise it is just the cost of doing business.

 

[bones]

Buddy was at the local dock in Indian arm earlier this year. Crabber not only catching under, but had a boiling pot right there on the beach!!! After an hour or so my friend was packing up when down come the crab police. After checking everyone, they ask this guy if those shells where his? Nope not mine. Enforcement pulls a phone out and loads a video of the guy catching and eating. They walked over to the pile of shells and measured. $1000.00 fine handed over. Enforcement had a HD video of the person taken from across the inlet on an spotting scope with camera attachment.
So good to hear that one.