Big fines for net fishing on Cross Coulee Reservoir
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on April 5, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com
Using nets to illegally catch fish has netted four Calgary men hefty fines.
Li Hua Guo, Hong Xia Kuang, Wei Yong Situ and Xu Wen Situ, pleaded guilty Monday in Lethbridge provincial court to charges of unlawful possession of 28 lake white fish, for which they were fined $1,000 each. All but Guo also pleaded guilty to fishing with a net and were fined an additional $200 each.
One other accused, Hai Cheng Chen, who faces one charge of unlawful possession of the white fish, did not deal with his charge, and it was adjourned until next Monday when it will be resolved, as well.
Court was told Fish and Wildlife officers watched the men as they illegally fished at the Cross Coulee Reservoir south of Raymond on Nov. 23 of last year. The officers saw three of the men catch the fish with nets, while two other men held two coolers, one of which contained 19 fish, and the other nine fish.
“This kind of activity, this dip netting, is not considered to be sport fishing,” explained Crown Prosecutor Bruce Ainscough. “They arrived at the location after dark and engaged in their unlawful activities under cover of darkness to avoid detection.”
Although the men had a large number of fish, which would normally indicate an unlawful commercial operation, Ainscough said there wasn’t any evidence to suggest that in this case.
“All five of these persons disputed the commercial aspect, but accepted the facts,” duty counsel lawyer Jeremy DeBow added.
The men were ordered to pay the fines within six months, although they can apply for an extension.
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Which Calgary restaurant hired them to do this?