Tag Archives: Judge Catherine Crockett
Vancouver Island Skipper fined $10,000 for unknowingly violating fishery laws
A north Island fishing boat captain was fined $10,000 last week for Fisheries Act infractions that may have actually cost him money, and the judge accepts he had no idea he made. Following court hearings before Judge Catherine Crockett in Campbell River and Courtenay Provincial Court, Ian Jeffrey Garnier, 45, was fined July 8 for fishing in a closed area, failing to properly record his catch, and releasing fish contrary to regulations, among other Fisheries Act charges. “Given the extensive monitoring by on-board observers or electronic means, it is difficult to conceive of why a person would deliberately violate any of the conditions that form the bases of these charges,” Crockett wrote in her decision. “It was only a matter of time before the violations were discovered.” In the first instance, video cameras in place to ensure license compliance recorded members of Garnier’s crew tossing about 2,000 pounds of fish overboard without his knowledge — fish they could have kept. Neither he, nor the crew could provide any reason for the action, which the court described as throwing money away. In the second instance, Read the rest here 09:00
