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Northern Ont. man fined more than $4k for selling baitfish without a licence, improper record keeping

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry conversation officer vehicle parked near water. (Supplied/file photo) Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry conversation officer vehicle parked near water. (Supplied/file photo)
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A northern Ont. man has been fined more than $4,000 for noncompliance with Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry regulations regarding the harvesting and sale of baitfish.

In a news release Friday, the ministry said Joshua Schill of Sault Ste. Marie pleaded guilty to selling baitfish without a licence for commercial purposes and was fined $2,000. He was also fined an additional $1,200 for failing to make an annual return or keep a logbook.

Justice of the Peace Nancy Tulloch heard the case remotely in the Ontario Court of Justice in Thunder Bay, on March 1.

The court heard that on Feb. 1, 2021, a conservation officer inspected commercial baitfish traps set through the ice on Furcate Lake marked with Schill’s commercial baitfish licence number.

“Further investigation revealed he was selling baitfish out of his Thunder Bay-based business Wiggley Baits without a valid baitfish harvester and dealer licence, and that he failed to submit his mandatory annual return,” the MNRF said in the release.

Later, an inspection of the Silver Minnow Bait Shop on Mitchell Road in Thunder Bay, Ont., which is also owned by Schill, revealed he had not maintained his baitfish logbook.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.

For more information about unsolved cases, click here.

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