A Dryden area tourist camp owner has been fined $4,500 for a number of convictions under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.
Gordon M. Makara pleaded guilty and was fined $2,500 for unlawfully selling fish without the authority of a licence. He was also fined $1,000 for failing to comply with the Ministry of Natural Resources Manual of Licence Issuing Instructions and $1,000 for obstructing a conservation officer.
Court heard that on June 10, 2009, conservation officers conducted a routine check of South Shore Lodge on Eagle Lake, 40 kilometres southwest of Dryden. They found Makara, the owner/operator, preparing 27 filleted walleye and three filleted northern pike for a fish fry lunch for lodge guests. Makara told officers that the fish were angler-caught and he had authority to possess them under the eight Ontario fishing licences of his family, staff and himself. Officers discovered that some of these individuals did not possess fishing licences and others already possessed their daily limit of fish. Makara, an issuer of hunting and fishing licences on behalf of the ministry, was later found to have falsified fishing licences for himself and some members of his family, backdating them to before the fish fry.
Justice of the Peace Raymond Zuliani heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Dryden, on March 16, 2010.
The ministry reminds the public that it is illegal to sell or buy fish or fish parts caught for sport. The maximum penalty for illegal sale or purchase of sport-caught fish is a fine of up to $100,000, two years imprisonment or a combination of both. Sport-caught fish are not subject to government food safety and quality inspections.
For further information on fishing regulations, please consult the 2010 Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, from licence issuers and at ontario.ca/fishing.
To report a natural resource violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Mike Prepp, Dryden District, 807-223-7551
Dick deGroot, Dryden District, 807-223-3341
