Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says a Prince Rupert resident and commercial prawn fisher has been convicted of illegal fishing and fined $15,000.
On June 3, 2004, around the Queen Charlotte Islands, fishery officers observed the fishing vessel Dawn Chase hauling shrimp/prawn traps gear twice on the same day. Mr. Tan Nguyen Nguyen, captain and owner of the Dawn Chase, was charged for failing to comply with the conditions of a commercial prawn licence.
Mr. Nguyen was fined in Prince Rupert provincial court a total of $15,000, of which $14,500 will go to DFO for management and conservation of fish and fish habitat.
Mr. Nguyen has previously been convicted for conducting the same illegal activity in the Prince Rupert area.
Fishers can fish between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the prawn season and are permitted to haul out their gear only once daily. The intent of this management measure is to reduce the handling and mortality of undersized prawns, by allowing smaller prawns enough time to enter and then leave the trap while the gear is on the ocean bottom.