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Raid on Nootka Island Fishing Lodge alledges serious fisheries violations, could lead to larger investigation
By Dan MacLennan, Courier-IslanderSeptember 4, 2009
Fisheries Act charges are pending and more are expected following a DFO/RCMP raid on the Nootka Island Fishing Lodge last week.
And that raid may only be part of a much larger investigation, says DFO.
Members of the DFO's Gold River field office and Nootka Sound RCMP visited the site, not far from the mouth of Nootka Sound, off the west coast of the Island Thursday evening.
According to Jason Knight, DFO's Gold River field supervisor, they arrested a fishing guide, seized a fishing boat and gear, and interviewed guides and clients.
"We apprehended a recreational fishing guide operating out of Nootka Island Lodge for some serious violations of recreational fishing regulations," he said. "Fishery officers were acting on information that was received from the general public, as well as an observed history of violations, conducting an extensive investigation utilizing both traditional patrol and surveillance techniques as well as plain clothes operations fishing alongside the violators in a vessel.
"Numerous violations of the fishing regulations including chinook conservation rules, were documented by the officers on more than one of the employees of the lodge."
Knight wouldn't go into specifics, saying the investigation is ongoing. He said the investigation started last year.
"We've laid some charges already and are looking at further charges in regards to barbed hooks and the conservation corridor for the chinook, and coho regulations for wild coho returning to the Fraser River.
They were caught in an area where they're not allowed to retain wild coho that would be transiting stock. "There's many violations, (including) failing to record chinook on a licence. There's a lot of issues."
Knight said RCMP seized a quantity of marijuana as well.
A Nootka Island Fishing Lodge spokesperson was unavailable for comment at press time.
DFO has established conservation 'corridors' in the area to protect and support spawning chinook. Knight said they're trying to protect chinook over 77 centimetres in length because many of them are females returning to spawn in west coast streams, loaded with eggs.
"The sportfishing industry can still have an opportunity to fish but we're trying to protect the larger females to get back into the system to spawn so that they can try and get the stocks to come back to historical levels," he said.
Knight said the DFO investigation isn't restricted to the one lodge.
"This isn't necessarily an isolated event with one group or one lodge," he said. "We are continuing to investigate similar events in other locations. I can assure you that it's more than an individual lodge but we're not quite sure of the scope at this time."
DFO is asking the public to report any violations on its toll free line 1-800-465-4336.
By Dan MacLennan, Courier-IslanderSeptember 4, 2009
Fisheries Act charges are pending and more are expected following a DFO/RCMP raid on the Nootka Island Fishing Lodge last week.
And that raid may only be part of a much larger investigation, says DFO.
Members of the DFO's Gold River field office and Nootka Sound RCMP visited the site, not far from the mouth of Nootka Sound, off the west coast of the Island Thursday evening.
According to Jason Knight, DFO's Gold River field supervisor, they arrested a fishing guide, seized a fishing boat and gear, and interviewed guides and clients.
"We apprehended a recreational fishing guide operating out of Nootka Island Lodge for some serious violations of recreational fishing regulations," he said. "Fishery officers were acting on information that was received from the general public, as well as an observed history of violations, conducting an extensive investigation utilizing both traditional patrol and surveillance techniques as well as plain clothes operations fishing alongside the violators in a vessel.
"Numerous violations of the fishing regulations including chinook conservation rules, were documented by the officers on more than one of the employees of the lodge."
Knight wouldn't go into specifics, saying the investigation is ongoing. He said the investigation started last year.
"We've laid some charges already and are looking at further charges in regards to barbed hooks and the conservation corridor for the chinook, and coho regulations for wild coho returning to the Fraser River.
They were caught in an area where they're not allowed to retain wild coho that would be transiting stock. "There's many violations, (including) failing to record chinook on a licence. There's a lot of issues."
Knight said RCMP seized a quantity of marijuana as well.
A Nootka Island Fishing Lodge spokesperson was unavailable for comment at press time.
DFO has established conservation 'corridors' in the area to protect and support spawning chinook. Knight said they're trying to protect chinook over 77 centimetres in length because many of them are females returning to spawn in west coast streams, loaded with eggs.
"The sportfishing industry can still have an opportunity to fish but we're trying to protect the larger females to get back into the system to spawn so that they can try and get the stocks to come back to historical levels," he said.
Knight said the DFO investigation isn't restricted to the one lodge.
"This isn't necessarily an isolated event with one group or one lodge," he said. "We are continuing to investigate similar events in other locations. I can assure you that it's more than an individual lodge but we're not quite sure of the scope at this time."
DFO is asking the public to report any violations on its toll free line 1-800-465-4336.
