An individual from southern Ontario has been fined $4,500 for multiple commercial fishing violations tied to activities on Lake Erie, Provincial officials say.
The Ontario Court of Justice heard that in March 2025, conservation officers received a complaint from the public regarding a possible abandoned gill net near the village of Wheatley. Officers located the net and determined through an investigation that the individual, acting as captain of the commercial fishing vessel Dorothy J, had set gill nets on March 3, 2025, with some of these nets being lost and abandoned.
The individual pleaded guilty to failing to retrieve gill nets from Lake Erie within eight days, failing to report lost nets to a conservation officer, allowing fish suitable for human consumption to spoil, failing to submit an accurate and complete daily catch report and failing to maintain an accurate and complete logbook. A total fine of $4,500 was imposed.
Commercial fishing activities on Lake Erie are regulated through licences issued by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, with conditions designed to ensure the sustainability of the fishery.
Justice of the Peace Maureen Ryan-Brode heard the case in Windsor on Oct. 20, 2025.
Members of the public can report natural resource problems or provide information about unsolved cases by calling the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667 or contacting Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.
