OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Fisheries looking into reported sea lion shootings
Canwest News Service
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
NANAIMO - Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials are investigating two reports of sea lions being shot on the Sunshine Coast.
Brian Jubinville, a conservation protection supervisor for the DFO, said the investigation involves two separate incidents near Powell River in recent days, but it is not known if any sea lions were hit or killed.
"We have officers looking for dead or wounded sea lions in the area, but it's not unusual for any sea lions that may have been killed to sink in the water or be washed away," Jubinville said Tuesday.
"We have a couple of leads on who may be responsible that we're checking out."
Two species of sea lions are found in the Strait of Georgia, the larger Steller species, listed as a "species at risk", and the more numerous California sea lions.
Neither species has been hunted since the federal Fisheries Act banned hunting in the 1970s.
Jubinville said, if caught, those responsible for shooting at the sea lions could face charges ranging from charges under the Fisheries Act for to Criminal Code charges for unlawfully discharging a firearm.
© Canwest News Service
Canwest News Service
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
NANAIMO - Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials are investigating two reports of sea lions being shot on the Sunshine Coast.
Brian Jubinville, a conservation protection supervisor for the DFO, said the investigation involves two separate incidents near Powell River in recent days, but it is not known if any sea lions were hit or killed.
"We have officers looking for dead or wounded sea lions in the area, but it's not unusual for any sea lions that may have been killed to sink in the water or be washed away," Jubinville said Tuesday.
"We have a couple of leads on who may be responsible that we're checking out."
Two species of sea lions are found in the Strait of Georgia, the larger Steller species, listed as a "species at risk", and the more numerous California sea lions.
Neither species has been hunted since the federal Fisheries Act banned hunting in the 1970s.
Jubinville said, if caught, those responsible for shooting at the sea lions could face charges ranging from charges under the Fisheries Act for to Criminal Code charges for unlawfully discharging a firearm.
© Canwest News Service
