Men on the hook for hefty fines for fishing
By Shurtz, Delon on June 10, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
Two men who tried to hide several fish they caught illegally last year have been levied hefty fines
Tommy Wong and Zhi Qinag Lin were each fined $3,200 and prohibited from fishing for three years after they pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court to two counts each of exceeding possession limits and one count of obstructing a Fish and Wildlife officer.
The two men were seen by the wildlife officer while they and others were fishing along the Carseland irrigation canal May 12 of last year. The anglers caught several walleye and northern pike, but instead of adhering to fishing regulations and releasing them back into the water, they kept the fish. When approached by the wildlife officer they lied and said they didn’t keep any fish.
The officer informed them he had filmed them fishing and arrested them. He searched their vehicle and found 14 walleye and four northern pike hidden in a compartment under the floor of their vehicle.
“Clearly they knew they were doing something wrong,” Crown Prosecutor Clayton Giles told court.
Under Alberta’s fishing regulations walleye and northern pike in the Carseland canal are strictly catch and release.
Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter
12-11
