A Quebec man, Sylvain Bolduc of Boisbriand, has pleaded guilty to possessing five fish over his legal limit and was fined $1,000, even though he caught the fish in another province.
Court heard that on June 27, 2015, Bolduc had been fishing in Quebec and was about to travel home via Ontario and Quebec roads when he was inspected at the Ontario border.
A fish inspection station run by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, assisted by Quebec conservation officers and the OPP, was in operation.
Bolduc was found to be in possession of five walleye over the legal limit for the Quebec location where he had been angling.
According to Ontario’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, it is an offence to possess fish, wildlife or fur taken unlawfully in another jurisdiction.
Justice of the Peace Diane Lafleur heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, North Bay, on March 10, 2016.
When transporting fish on land, the fish caught and kept must be cleaned and packaged in such a way that conservation officers can identify the number and species of all fish, not just those with limits.
