Pineapple Express
Well-Known Member
A few weeks ago I was working at the coal port at Roberts Bank. I was near the water and noticed a boat sitting right in the kelp just off the beach of the terminal, and while I was looking at the boat I happened to see one of the occupants bring a large rockfish aboard the vessel. The guy crouched down in the boat for a moment, then stood up and tossed his lure back in the water to continue fishing. The rockfish stayed on board. So I called the DFO reporting hotline.
The vessel, pictured here, was approximately 16-18ft dual console aluminum boat. Looks like it says Springbok on the side, and had a Mariner outboard motor.
I must admit I had low expectations right from the start about calling the DFO hotline, so I was surprised when I connected with a real live person on the other end! I briefly described why I was calling and the officer was very interested! He took down the exact info of the what/where/when that I reported and was even looking at Google Earth to understand exactly where I said I saw the violation. He was appreciative of my call and took my number and that was it. I was thinking that was the end of that and I still had low expectations, although I’m not really sure why. I guess it seemed a little bit like a needle in a haystack for them to dispatch a field officer and intercept these guys and then find something amiss. I’m thinking like the rumrunners of the prohibition era where the “cargo” would get ditched if officers gave chase.
So, much to my amazement, not 10 minutes later I got a call from a very enthusiastic DFO field officer. I confirmed the details that I had provided and was able to text some photos to him. He was adamant that these fishermen had launched off the Tsawwassen causeway ramp. I gather that the DFO officer was in a truck, not a boat. Anyway, a few hours later I got a text from the DFO field officer, which read as such: “They have 13 undersize crab. 1 lingcod. 19 rockfish. Gave both an appearance notice and seized the boat and trailer”. Well holy shizz! I couldn’t believe it! Not only did the reporting system catch these guys, but the severity of their offence caught me by surprise.
I’ll be checking this page on the DFO website posting convictions. I hope that they get the book thrown at them!
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/charges-inculpations/pac-eng.htm
The vessel, pictured here, was approximately 16-18ft dual console aluminum boat. Looks like it says Springbok on the side, and had a Mariner outboard motor.
I must admit I had low expectations right from the start about calling the DFO hotline, so I was surprised when I connected with a real live person on the other end! I briefly described why I was calling and the officer was very interested! He took down the exact info of the what/where/when that I reported and was even looking at Google Earth to understand exactly where I said I saw the violation. He was appreciative of my call and took my number and that was it. I was thinking that was the end of that and I still had low expectations, although I’m not really sure why. I guess it seemed a little bit like a needle in a haystack for them to dispatch a field officer and intercept these guys and then find something amiss. I’m thinking like the rumrunners of the prohibition era where the “cargo” would get ditched if officers gave chase.
So, much to my amazement, not 10 minutes later I got a call from a very enthusiastic DFO field officer. I confirmed the details that I had provided and was able to text some photos to him. He was adamant that these fishermen had launched off the Tsawwassen causeway ramp. I gather that the DFO officer was in a truck, not a boat. Anyway, a few hours later I got a text from the DFO field officer, which read as such: “They have 13 undersize crab. 1 lingcod. 19 rockfish. Gave both an appearance notice and seized the boat and trailer”. Well holy shizz! I couldn’t believe it! Not only did the reporting system catch these guys, but the severity of their offence caught me by surprise.
I’ll be checking this page on the DFO website posting convictions. I hope that they get the book thrown at them!
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/charges-inculpations/pac-eng.htm
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