THUNDER BAY – LIVING – Most anglers checked during a two-day fisheries enforcement blitz near Ignace were in compliance with Ontario’s fishing regulations.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry conservation officers, including the canine unit, checked anglers on June 12 and 13, 2015, along Highway 599. Officers were checking for compliance with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, the Public Lands Act and the Off-Road Vehicles Act.
The officers checked 704 individuals, including more than 650 non-residents of Canada, during the blitz, and seized 17 fish.
They laid 13 charges for the offences of:
* having an over-limit of fish
* fishing without a valid licence
They issued 28 warnings for the offences of:
* fishing without a valid licence
* having packaged fish that could not be readily counted or identified
* providing false information to a conservation officer
* camping on Crown land without a permit
* disobeying a notice
* operating an all-terrain vehicle without a helmet
The officers also spoke with anglers about how to reduce the spread of invasive species and reminded them not to empty bait buckets into lakes and rivers.
For further information on fishing regulations, please consult the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary, available at ontario.ca/fishing.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Dan Hale, Dryden/Sioux Lookout Enforcement Unit, 807-223-7551
