Queen Charlotte Lodge fine amount given after pleading guilty.

Seems odd that a high end lodge would put themselves in this kind of position. Anyone know the particulars?
 
I saw the original list of charges or offences that the lodge had done and it was pages and pages full of violations and breaches.
 
The fine is so small it's just the cost of doing business. Not a deterrent
 
The cost of doing business is that the lodge owners must have fired the management. A guy from West Coast Resorts started to run it last year.
 
FYI, all illegally kept fish were UNGUIDED, lodge just made attempt to refrain from having to report those guests that come in over their limit.

I might add add that more than several steelhead get brought into those docks by clueless clients who think theve landed a scrappy coho.
 
Yah.... Unguided. They were then illegally kept by the lodge... to give to their clients. Way to go QCL! Not slack butt management, poor ownership and accountability for the resource that built their lodge.
 
This sort of behaviour is the result of an ownership/mgmt team that don't put the health of the resource anywhere near the top of their priorities, IMO. Based on my experience I would say that just about every lodge on the coast could be guilty of some sort of fisheries rules (there are a LOT of hoops to jump through) at some point throughout the season as guides/guests can bring back illegal fish from time to time or they might not all be labelled & stored 100% correctly at all times. However, the degree of violations in this case are pretty damn substantial and indicate a total lack of regard for the laws they operate under and the fish that support their business. Hoping this will be a shot in the arm to this lodge and others to take the rules more seriously, take conservation more seriously, and take the time to educate guides and guests on the importance of sustainable fishing in BC.

There are plenty of lodges that have taken great strides in recent years/decades to align with the reality that these fish cannot be taken for granted... clearly this lodge has some work to do in that regard.

Stoisy said:
Yah.... Unguided. They were then illegally kept by the lodge... to give to their clients. Way to go QCL! Not slack butt management, poor ownership and accountability for the resource that built their lodge.
Click to expand...
 
Well, I have been to this lodge 2x, & I can say that they are still terrible at managing the fish that clients bring in. Last year I got home & was missing about 30lbs of ling & halibut. My partner was missing a salmon & 5 black bass. When we went to pick up pour fish in Vancouver I noticed right away & refused to take position of my fish until they had it sorted out. Took a week but they did get it to me. I am fairly sure that it was my fish as I had mostly Green lingcod which is what I was given. Also the amount of Halibut they gave vs the what I should have received was out of wack. Then there is also the salmon portions I receive which are from un bleed fish, which are definitely not mine. It is for that reason I am not returning this year.

There is no doubt they have the guides fish & keep some of these fish at the lodges. They use this fish to insure clients get to bring fish home still if they had a bad trip. I am not saying this is ethical, but it dose make folks happier to make it home with some small feed springs when something prevented them from catching fish. This is mostly the case for self guided I would suspect.

I want to comment on Naden Lodge. I have also been to this lodge 2x. It is by fare the most respectable & best ran ones I have ever been to. They only have 12 guest max at a time & I have never seen anything happen that is questionable. The way they take care of the fish is A+. I can imagine some of the guides like to keep a few through out the year to bring home & I suspect that is where the mess happened when they got in trouble.

Folks like to bash lodges, but they bring a lot of money to the island & employ more people then commercial fishing I would suspect. Also they allow other Canadians from different parts of the country to access the fishing grounds & enjoy the resources they would not otherwise be able to do.

I am not trying to open a can of worms here, just given my opinion.
 
I Love Haida Gwaii said:
There is no doubt they have the guides fish & keep some of these fish at the lodges. They use this fish to insure clients get to bring fish home still if they had a bad trip. I am not saying this is ethical, but it dose make folks happier to make it home with some small feed springs when something prevented them from catching fish. This is mostly the case for self guided I would suspect.
Click to expand...

Worked there multiple seasons, THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. Don't state as fact what you do not know.

The over limit fish killed illegally by unguided guests are kept for reasons such as you suggest including replacing fish lost in transit by airlines.

But really what do people expect the lodge to do when someone brings in an illegal fish? Turn them in, ya I guess in a perfect world but not when that person is paying thousands of dollars and telling their rich friends about the experience.

Imagine the outrage if these dead fish were slipped over the edge to the seals when nobody is looking and put to waste to avoid this issue...

Not saying what they did was right but if their not about to throw the clients under the bus what other options are there?
 
what do people expect the lodge to do when someone brings in an illegal fish?
Click to expand...

Pitch it in the ocean before it hits the dock-problem solved.

Years ago a famous old lodge on WCQCI used to do that and I remember applauding the fish master for his good work.
 
The trawl fishery has to pitch all halibut over the side, dead or alive.
If they don't they face stiff penalties, no excuses.

Of course a lodge cannot be held responsible for the fishing activities of self guided guests, but once the illegal fish is on their dock, it is their problem.
The waste argument is difficult to swallow, but is the only solution that 'works'.
 
No excuse for these violations, the lodges know the regulations. They make huge money and certainly have the resources to ensure that all regulations are adhered to. Throw the book at them I say.
 
pretty easy systems for when multi boats come in, room numbers, a clip board and a couple sharpies keep it all in order..
writing s, c , h , cd, sn, sok.. etc on the vac packs is pretty easy..

only time i find it difficult is at the end of a trip when the large group wants "split fish" it ends up all mixed up in their boxes... worked with groups of up to 18 that are all from different areas but still come together to fish every year and they want everyone to go home with the same amount..

guides keep their own box with their name on it, in the walk in and RESPONSIBLE for their own.

lodge has a box or two also labelled and the manager is responsible for it.

how could a high end lodge or any lodge screw this up?
 
Last edited:
How do you tell the difference between an illegal guided fish and an illegal unguided fish? The Lodge as part of an industry should be careful and professional for their own good.
 
The lodges don't do any more than they have to for the local economy . I have had lodge customers at the trade shows bragging how many Chinook they caught and released, I remind them that half those fish die.
Playing by the rules makes you a pro in my opinion.
 
:rolleyes:
Bret said:
The lodges don't do any more than they have to for the local economy . I have had lodge customers at the trade shows bragging how many Chinook they caught and released, I remind them that half those fish die.
Playing by the rules makes you a pro in my opinion.
Click to expand...

;)you are wrong and correct twice in the same post in my opinion.:D
 
trophywife said:
pretty easy systems for when multi boats come in, room numbers, a clip board and a couple sharpies keep it all in order..
writing s, c , h , cd, sn, sok.. etc on the vac packs is pretty easy..

only time i find it difficult is at the end of a trip when the large group wants "split fish" it ends up all mixed up in their boxes... worked with groups of up to 18 that are all from different areas but still come together to fish every year and they want everyone to go home with the same amount..

guides keep their own box with their name on it, in the walk in and RESPONSIBLE for their own.

lodge has a box or two also labelled and the manager is responsible for it.

how could a high end lodge or any lodge screw this up?
Click to expand...
They often have 130 guests...
 
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