By Glenn Hicks

illegal fishing

Big fine for second man convicted for illegal Canoe Lake fishing

Feb 15, 2019 | 2:28 PM

The Ministry of Environment says the case against two men for taking fish from the protected waters of Canoe Lake in the North and illegally selling it, has now wrapped up.

The ministry said it was important to protect walleye stocks that have taken years to recover, but the case has drawn the ire of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).

A second man who was investigated received a hefty fine for his crimes, according to a media release from the ministry Friday.

Richard Desjardin, 63, pleaded guilty in a Canoe Narrows courtroom to three counts of marketing fish without a licence, commercial fishing without a licence, fishing in a closed area, and obstruction. He was fined $14,500 and had his truck forfeited to the Crown.

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Desjardin’s conviction followed that of Donald Iron, 60, who was found guilty last month for illegally selling fish without a licence and fined just over a thousand dollars.

People from Canoe Lake wanted our assistance _{– Conservation Service}

The investigation involved undercover officers who purchased more than 200 walleye from the two men.

paNOW broke the news last month of the initial court findings against Iron, which showed he had sold $90 worth of fish to the undercover officers.

That modest value of illegally harvested fish prompted the FSIN to question government priorities. The organization slammed the province for what they saw as “a waste of resources to fight First Nations exercising their Inherent and Treaty Rights.”

However, Daryl Minter, a sergeant with the conservation service, said this case was prompted by complaints from locals.

“It was actually people from the Canoe Lake First Nation who wanted our assistance in dealing with some people that were illegally selling fish from what they considered their lake,” Minter told paNOW. “Most people follow the law but there are some that abuse things and I believe the local people felt that’s what was happening here. There’s a protected spawning area; that is where they knew most of the fish was coming from.”

Minter said in the 1970s and 80s the walleye population in Canoe Lake crashed and took years to recover.

“The quality of the fishery is carefully and cooperatively managed by local fishers and the Canoe Lake First Nation in conjunction with the ministry of environment,” he said. “So an area of Canoe Lake is closed year-round to all fishing to protect the spawning grounds and it has been in effect for over 20 years and is fully supported by the Canoe Lake First Nation.”

The ministry said any suspected wildlife, fishery, forestry or environmental violations could be reported to the toll-free Turn In Poachers line at 1-800-667-7561.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow