Quinte Fishing

Because of my work, I am on the mailing list of the MNR Enforcement team. I was thinking I could post these news releases here if members of the board found this acceptable. We go on and on about Conservation officers and the perceived lack of action, however, this might give some board members an idea of what CO's are doing in this area.
As their latest news release doesn't apply to any locals, I'm going to post it. Please let me know below if you think this is ok or not ok and we will go from there.
BTW, I only get about one or two a month so it's not going to be a constant thing....

NEWS
July 4, 2012

Four Greater Toronto Area residents have been fined a total of $6,000 for illegal fishing activities.

Baiju Kootakil of Mississauga and Nimesh Atholi Kandy of Scarborough both pleaded guilty for catching and retaining 16 smallmouth bass out of season and were each fined $1,500. Ricanor Zapatero of Toronto and Merigin Delos Reyes Acierto of Thornhill both pleaded guilty and were each fined $750 for catching and retaining an over limit of fish and an additional $750 for possessing fish of a prohibited size.

The court heard that on May 26, 2012, at the Trent River in the Municipality of Trent Hills, a conservation officer inspected Kootakil and Atholi Kandy’s catch and found them in possession of 16 smallmouth bass. The season for bass opens on the fourth Saturday in June each year.

The court also heard that on May 26, 2012, at the Trent River in the Municipality of Trent Hills, a conservation officer inspected Zapatero and Acierto’s catch and found them in possession of 16 walleye, of which nine were found to be a prohibited size. The legal catch and possession limit for walleye in Fisheries Management Zone 17 is four for holders of a Sport Fishing Licence and one for holders of a Conservation Fishing Licence; all walleye caught and retained in that zone must be 35 - 50 centimetres long.

All four anglers forfeited their catch; the 16 smallmouth bass and 16 walleye were donated to the Brock Mission in Peterborough.

Justice of the Peace Allison Forestall heard the cases in the Ontario Court of Justice, Campbellford, on June 28, 2012.

For further information about fishing regulations, please consult the 2012 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, licence issuers and at ontario.ca/fishing.

To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Thanks, Jason. Even if they were board members, I'd post it any how, as was the case a couple years ago with a board sponsor.

that's good to hear, hopefully the word spreads around thier 'poaching communities' that this activity will lead to prosecution - I wish the fines were stiffer, these guys clearly weren't hitting an incidental bass or walleye OOS.

Keep posting these releases up ! Its good to read and see that CO's are out and about doing their work. Thanks !

keep posting buddy, and as Dave said no mater if they are local or not. its nice to see the MNR is doing what they get paid to do. 16 out of season bass, the MNR should have seized there gear and there car, or boat on that one!

Unfortunatly this is just a tiny dot on the visitors to our local fisheries. Hundreds of them come every weekend camping out in their mini vans and tents lining the Trent river, Murray canal Tremer Lake and any accessable watersource they can find. They keep anything and everthing they catch with no limits and have no clue what a regulation is. They look at it as free food not a sport. They pollute the area with trash, crap and sh#t tickets all over the place and just leave it behind in a pile when they head back home. They could have someone just drive around and bust these people all day long increasing thier revinue to support more MNR officers which I believe we and our wildlife would benifit from.

_________________

They were caught because someone saw them do the same thing the week before when he saw them back again he called the tips hotline. Good thing the MNR responded quickly. We need more people who care and more enforcement.

Sad to see some Good Ole' Hometown Boys go down like that.

Should've been $1500/fish.....Not $1500 total!!!!!!

Anyways, back to "Boat Launch BS"

_________________
There's something wrong with that rod.
It has a bend in it!!!

I agee, stiffer fines!

I was getting gas in Hastings when that happened. A bunch of people started cheering the co after.