Significant penalties and a fishing prohibition has been issued to a North Coast salmon harvester.
Garry Dean Stoner was sentenced in Terrace Provincial Court on July 2 after pleading guilty to 12 counts under the Fisheries act for violations that occurred in June and September 2017.
The incidents occurred in waters north of Haida Gwaii.
Stoner has been ordered to pay $1,200 in court fines, $42,800 in penalties toward fisheries management and the conservation and protection of fish and fish habitat and $44,644 in penalties to recover revenue obtained through sales of the illegally caught Chinook salmon.
Additionally, he has been prohibited from commercial salmon fishing for 18 months.
According to a news release, a Fisheries and Oceans investigation in 2017 established that Stoner had failed to submit a single Coho or Chinook salmon head between three separate required landings.
It added in 2018 a further investigation was conducted into Stoner’s fishing activities during the commercial opening after there were reports of continued non-compliance with license conditions.