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Posted

Maybe I missed it if it was posted before. :dunno:

 

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/02/18/toronto-man-nets-20-day-jail-sentence-for-fishing-violations.html

 

 

By: Daniel Otis News Reporter, Published on Wed Feb 18 2015




Some fishy business has netted a Toronto man a 20-day prison sentence.


On Oct. 20, 2014, Aziz Malik and another man went fishing along the meanderingBowmanville Creek, near Highway 2, east of the GTA. Nearby, veteran conservation officer Mitch Phinney says he watched as Malik deliberately used a hook to snag a Chinook salmon.


“He was tossing a hook out and then raising it upwards in a strong fashion,” Phinney said in his report. “This raising motion is associated with one’s attempt to snag fish by hooking them in the body.”


In Ontario, it’s illegal to keep a fish that’s been hooked in a place other than its mouth.


As Phinney continued watching, Malik discarded a rainbow trout in some bushes before leaving the area in a vehicle. Phinney stopped the vehicle to find that Malik was one trout over the legal limit.


Phinney maintained that Malik lied about his fishy activities. The second man has not been identified.


Justice of the Peace Robert Boychyn heard the case in a Whitby courtroom on Jan. 14. Malik, who did not respond to a court summons, was found guilty in absentia of violating Ontario Fishery Regulations (for possessing one fish over the legal limit and using a hook to snag a fish) and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (for abandoning a fish that was suitable for food and making a false statement to a conservation officer).


Malik, 71, was sentences to five days in jail for each offence. The sentences will be served consecutively.


Each of the four offences can be punishable by a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both. Malik has a record of past fishing violations, the court heard, which factored into the judge’s decision to sentence him to jail time.


 


On Wednesday, a man who identified himself as Malik’s son said his father is currently incarcerated for fishing violations. The man, who declined to give his first name, said that Malik will be released at the end of the month.


Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry spokesperson Joshua Henry rejected the notion that there are bigger fish to fry: “The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is committed to protecting our valuable fisheries resources,” he said. “Violations of our fish and game laws disrespect the thousands of anglers in Ontario who obey the rules.”

 

Posted

My first time hearing of this incident as well.

Obviously this person has no intention of curbing his illegal fishing activities.

Glad he was caught and punished accordingly.

Posted

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry spokesperson Joshua Henry rejected the notion that there are bigger fish to fry: “The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is committed to protecting our valuable fisheries resources,” he said. “Violations of our fish and game laws disrespect the thousands of anglers in Ontario who obey the rules.”

 

Amen!

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