A pair of prairie anglers were recently fined for Wildlife Act violations at Greenwood’s Jewel Lake, according to Kyle Bueckert, game warden at the Boundary Conservation Officers’ Service (COS).
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Bueckert said he found two Manitoba men illegally ice-fishing on the lake on a Saturday afternoon in mid-March. When neither man could produce a fishing licence, Bueckert said he seized their catch of nine trout and each of their fishing rods.
Bueckert then fined each man $345 for angling without a licence and for “unlawful possession of fish or wildlife,” according to the Act.
“It’s a pretty serious offence, especially if you’re from out of province,” Bueckert said.
“I would rather not issue fines,” he continued, noting that licence fees support fishing management and wildlife conservation projects in B.C. The money from fines goes through another stream, with less benefit to local fishing.
“This case was significant because these guys had come in from outside B.C. and they were taking our wildlife resources without paying into our system,” he explained.
A one-day freshwater fishing licence costs $20 for out-of-province anglers, with annual licences going for $55, according to the Government of B.C.’s website, where anyone can buy a licence. Licence fees are lower for B.C. residents.
Licences are also available at Grand Forks’ Service BC Centre at 7290 Second St, as well as Grand Forks Home Hardware at 350 72nd Ave, Bueckert said.
For more information about fresh water fishing licences, visit the province’s website at gov.bc.ca/gov/content/sports-culture/recreation/fishing-hunting/fishing/recreational-freshwater-fishing-licence.
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