An undercover investigation by the Ministry of Environment to stop an illegal fish trafficking ring in northern Saskatchewan has netted 15 charges under Saskatchewan’s Outfitter and Guide Regulations and
The charges were laid by the ministry after information was received in 2011 relating to illegal outfitting and the abuse of walleye stocks in the Buffalo Narrows area..
Undercover officers determined that illegal outfitting was taking place without an outfitters’ licence. The officers were also approached by subsistence fishermen who sold fish to them illegally.
In May 2014, the first of four men charged in connection with the case – Leon Morin of Buffalo Narrows – was convicted of four counts of unlawful marketing of fish caught by both commercial fishing and subsistence fishing, and fined a total of $19,360.
The other three men were recently fined a total of $31,460 in Buffalo Narrows provincial court after being found guilty of 11 charges.
Richard Hansen of Buffalo Narrows was convicted of one count of unlawful outfitting, two counts of unlawful marketing of fish caught by subsistence fishing, one count of providing subsistence fish to someone other than a family member, and one count of unlawfully setting a gill net. He was fined a total of $18,510.
Maurice Billette of Dillon was convicted of four counts of unlawfully marketing fish caught by subsistence fishing and was fined a total of $11,200.
Danny Billette of Dillon was convicted of two counts of unlawfully marketing fish caught by subsistence fishing and was fined a total of $1,750.
Anyone approached to buy fish who believes the sale is not legal is encouraged to contact the nearest Ministry of Environment office, the province’s toll-free Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-667-7561 or #5555 for SaskTel cell phone subscribers, or report a violation online at www.saskatchewan.ca/conservation. Callers may be eligible for cash rewards through the SaskTip Reward Program.
