Charges and Warnings In Fisheries Enforcement Blitz
The Ministry of Natural Resources laid 111 charges and issued 58 warnings during a six-day enforcement blitz in the Essex County and Chatham-Kent waters of Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie and the Detroit River.
Conservation officers from the ministry’s Lake Erie and Aylmer enforcement units checked 560 resident anglers and 245 non-resident anglers from May 26 to May 31. Overall compliance with Ontario’s sport fishing and public safety-related legislation was 79 per cent.
A total of 111 charges and 58 warnings were issued for the following offences:
• fishing without a licence
• catching and keeping smallmouth bass out of season
• fishing with too many lines
• catching more than the limits of fish and bait fish
• using another person's licence to fish
• trespassing for the purpose of fishing
• possessing live invasive fish, and
• having open liquor.
Fishing equipment and fish were also seized during the investigations.
For further information on fishing regulations, please consult the 2010 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, through licence issuers and at ontario.ca/fishing.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry’s office at 519-825-4684 during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Kevin Sprague, Lake Erie Enforcement Unit, 519-825-168 ontario.ca/mnr
Sean Insley, Lake Erie Enforcement Unit, 519-825-3058
