While there was an increase of eight fishery violations by Department of Fisheries and Oceans this year from last year Daryl Walsh said that’s not abnormal.
The senior compliance officer with DFO said this is not “over and above” and is in line with some past years.
Walsh said netting continues to the biggest concern for the people behind the enforcement of angling regulations because it’s so destructive to the fish stocks when it occurs. While nine persons were charged for this type of violation, fisheries officers and guardians were successful in seizing 41 illegal salmon nets.
While some of these nets had been set many of them were discovered tucked away near pools on rivers where salmon are known to frequent. Half of those were in the area of coastal waters and the other half at inland waters.
Walsh said the violations were spread out right across the region of Newfoundland and Labrador and charges were laid by the more than 200 fishery officers and Indigenous fishery guardians who provide enforcement and who conducted more than 4,100 inspections.
He said when you compare the number of charges to the amount of inspections that took place its encouraging because it demonstrates the majority or people who take part in the fishery are compliant.
Walsh said there’s no doubt that most anglers in this province are catch and retain and that after the rivers were closed to that practice after the mid-season review on July 19, there were a lot less people on the rivers.
He said after the review they moved to catch and release, but only when the water was at a temperature of less than 18 degrees, a conservation move to reduce the mortality rate of salmon. Quite a few rivers were closed in the province due to that in late July and early August, especially in central Newfoundland, where it was extremely dry.
Walsh said DFO is currently holding consultation meetings in the province and had what he considers a very successful one this week at Holiday Inn Express in Deer Lake.
He said there were about 40 anglers and stakeholders in attendance at that meeting, where a lot of good opinions and information sharing and that hopefully from these consultations they will be in a better position to work with their science branch next years.
A number of convictions took pace because of anonymous reports to Crime Stoppers, along with their fishery guardians and officers receiving tips while they were out and about. He said everyone is hoping that the salmon numbers will rebound and return to a normal level but of course that remains to be seen.
Other consultation meetings take place in St. John’s on Oct. 10 at the Holiday Inn, at Clarenville Inn on Oct. 11 and in Grand Falls-Windsor on Oct. 30.
For information about fishing convictions: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/charges-inculpations/nl-tnl-eng.htm
The public is encouraged to report poaching activity to Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or to a local DFO Conservation and Protection detachment.
DFO fishery violations numbers this year:
Total – 136.
Reports through Crime Stoppers – 25.
Netting – five coastal waters, four inland waters.
Angling during closed time – 17.
Untagged salmon – five.
Use of other than an artificial fly – 11.
Angling on a closed section of a river – nine.
Jigging salmon – two.
Obstruction – three.
Trout violations (mostly exceeding daily bag limit) – four.
Administrative violations – remainder.
Seized – salmon, many rods and reels, a pickup truck, an all-terrain vehicle, four vessels (three of them with outboard motors).
