Tag Archives: commercial fishing enterprise

DFO appears to break own laws by allowing sale of commercial licences involved in alleged illegal controlling agreement

“DFO may be breaking the very fishing laws it is mandated to enforce,” says Ryan Cleary, an inshore fishery activist who has brought a number of alleged controlling agreements to DFO’s attention. The controversy surrounds La Scie-based fisherman Jimmy Lee Foss who went public earlier this year with allegations he was in a controlling agreement with Robin Quinlan of Quinlan Brothers Ltd. Foss purchased the Ocean Surfer II and suite of commercial licences in April 2022 with a $3.8-million loan from the CIBC — a deal he alleges was arranged and co-signed by Quinlan. Foss said the investigator told him a request would be made for his commercial licenses to be frozen until the probe was complete, but DFO licensing branch forwarded him a letter late last week to say that wouldn’t be the case. Foss fears the licence will end up back in Quinlan’s hands. more, >>click to read<< 20:22

Fisherman told to either drop DFO complaint of controlling agreement or risk losing home

An inshore fisherman from La Scie whose commercial fishing enterprise is being seized by a receiver for the bank has been given until this Thursday, March 7th, to either retract a recent declaration to DFO that he was in an illegal controlling agreement, or risk losing his home. “No fisherman should be put in that impossible position,” says inshore fisheries advocate Ryan Cleary. “It’s the latest example of how the entire system works against the inshore fleet.” Jimmy Lee Foss purchased the F/V Ocean Surfer II  and a suite of commercial licences (including snow crab and shrimp) in April 2022 with a $3.8-million loan from the CIBC. According to Foss, the deal was arranged and co-signed by local fish processor Robin Quinlan of Quinlan Brothers Ltd. more, >>click to read<< 11:32

Woman Reported Missing in Lake Erie After Falling From a Fishing Boat

Pennsylvania State Police have issued search warrants as they are called in to assist in the case of a woman missing in Lake erie, after her husband reported she fell off a boat Sunday afternoon. She is identified as 51-year-old Karen LeClair of Albion. Her husband 48-year-old Christopher Leclair says it was the commercial fishing vessel he operates, the “Doris M.” that she fell from. According to Sgt. Brook Tolbert of the PA Fish and Boat Commission, Mrs. Leclair, a partner with her husband in a commercial fishing enterprise called, Lake Erie Fishing was not wearing a life vest. . “Mr. Leclair indicated that she was not wearing a life vest, there were plenty of life vests on board the vessel at the time, but she was not wearing it and she’s not required to wear it,” Video, click here to read the story 20:43