PRINCE RUPERT - Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced today that a Skidegate resident has received a fine of $10,000 in a Prince Rupert provincial court for harvesting and selling sablefish without a proper licence.

On June 3, 1999, Michael Stanley McNeill, skipper of the vessel Indian Giver, offloaded his allowable catch at Port Edward, B.C. Additionally, Mr. McNeill offloaded 4,079 pounds of sablefish, not authorized by his commercial halibut licence. Fishery officers suspected illegal activity based on checking documents from the processing company. Subsequently an investigation into Mr. McNeill's fishing activities was initiated and he was later charged. The illegally caught sablefish was sold by Mr. McNeill in Vancouver.

Recently, Mr. McNeill appeared in Prince Rupert provincial court, where he pleaded guilty and received a total fine of $10,000 for the offences committed.

Pacific sablefish is one of the most valuable commercial fish species in the north Pacific. There are only 48 commercial licences of which only 27 vessels fish. Approximately 80 per cent of Canadian sablefish is sold to Japanese markets. The majority of the remainder is sold in Hong Kong and throughout North America.

The Department conducted a comprehensive analysis of all recent and updated scientific information relevant to sablefish. It was then determined that in order to accommodate the Department's concerns that the stock may be experiencing continued declines, a reduced harvest level was implemented for the remainder of the 2002/2003 fishery.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is very concerned about the protection of the resource and asks for assistance from the general public in reporting activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the 24-hour, toll-free Observe, Record, Report line at 1-800-465-4336.

Media contacts:

Trevor Ruelle
Conservation and Protection
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(250) 754-0233