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Jackfish Lake a problem area for fish poachers, says Fish and Wildlife officer3 e8 v, G3 H$ @
* J+ P" g9 P ~& vYou would probably never pay $1,000 for a fish at the supermarket.* Y) y+ u5 }9 d; w7 k" G
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But for Alberta fishers who illegally keep their fish, that’s the minimum cost.
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, w1 r# C9 a: M- H* X, q$ P1 u/ S9 ]On Oct. 24, Edmonton resident Hay Thi Le received a $1,500 fine for keeping a protected size Northern Pike from Jackfish Lake. Le also received a one-year licence suspension.9 H X4 U4 C5 w9 ~! d
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Those kinds of fines are common for fish poachers, says Stony Plain District Fish and Wildlife officer Quentin Isley, who was responsible for catching Le.
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" N8 a2 g P) P2 ~& [7 UIn fact, he remembers a fine a couple years ago of $16,000 — a sum that was upheld by the Alberta Court of Appeal.
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While it’s his job to catch poachers in the province, Isley says awareness is needed when it comes to keeping fish you shouldn’t.
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3 e+ R" ^# Z/ t* `“People might think twice about keeping a fish — any illegal fish —if they knew that when they get caught it’s $1,000 per fish,” he said.6 _+ l/ S, m0 Q9 k) r* c& y: B: z- x; G
' F& X X' e. P% ]( u- f OJackfish Lake has been a problem area for Fish and Wildlife officers this year. Isley, one of two officers in the district, which stretches from Legal to Tomahawk, has four or five other cases from Jackfish still waiting to go through the courts.
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( A1 X" j1 d/ c$ Y Y3 M- I“This fall, there appeared to be a significant increase in people poaching fish,” he said.
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3 u6 E) k% o- X$ H, |“We laid quite a few charges on different people who were illegally keeping fish at Jackfish Lake.”# S4 v# N) T- P6 i
; b( q2 m# x8 o: H. `5 N9 TLe, who was one of those people, was fined more than $1,000 because of extenuating circumstances —”Deception was involved and some previous history,” Isley said.2 U' R" a4 H5 U# }$ o+ \
2 t" _4 S( J9 v. F8 S9 NLe pleaded guilty to keeping the fish.
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( T. ^# I% W0 H, s5 C4 ]$ ZAt Jackfish Lake, all Northern Pike under 63 centimetres must be released to sustain the lake’s breeding population.
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( `; `+ t) E+ h! d" l( y& CAdditionally, all walleye caught there must be released.
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. F5 N+ Q. ^( u% eKnowing and following the rules is important to avoid substantial fines like the one Le received.2 e- T! y+ ]$ |7 _0 [, l
8 {7 d/ B, T7 Z4 g0 g' JAlthough there is currently only one Fish and Wildlife officer in the district besides Isley, they’ll be getting a third soon.$ |- a2 q! y( k8 g& }/ _4 x3 ]- s2 a
' \5 N+ e0 R3 U$ B5 e. MMany of the infractions Isley pursues are called in by residents via the Report A Poacher line.9 h% {8 L* ^8 t4 S# b: r
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If you see someone committing a Wildlife and Fisheries infraction, call Report A Poacher at 1-800-642-3800. |
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