ABBOTSFORD - A fine of $5,000 has been handed to an Abbotsford man for illegally possessing white sturgeon.

Trong Son Ho was found guilty in Abbotsford provincial court after being charged for violating the federal Fisheries Act.

The maximum penalty for illegally possessing sturgeon under the federal Fisheries Act is $300,000.

In June 2000, Abbotsford police called the provincial conservation officer service after stopping a vehicle in which they found three white sturgeon ranging from one to two metres in length.

White sturgeon are a threatened species in B.C. as a result of over-fishing, and harvesting them is illegal. The province's largest freshwater fish, they can reach lengths of more than six metres and can live more than 100 years. For further information on sturgeon, visit http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/ online.

Media contact:

Don Stahl
Conservation Officer
Chilliwack
604 795-8416