Unregulated fishing has led to fines for a Wheatley resident and a commercial fishing organization.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, a Wheatley man was the captain of the commercial fishing vessel Teresa Maria that was fishing out of Port Stanley between July 28 and August 18, 2023.
During that time, the captain failed to record his fishing activities in a logbook and inaccurately reported the location of his gill nets in the lake.
As a result, Jose Cabral of Wheatley was found guilty of failing to comply with the terms and conditions of his licence. He was fined $11,000 and received a court order requiring him to use commercial fishing boats with monitored GPS units.
The commercial fishing licence holder, 538441 Ontario Inc. of Leamington, also pleaded guilty to the same offence and was fined $2,500.
Commercial fishing activities on Lake Erie are regulated by conditions that help ensure the sustainability of the lake fishery.
