Two men fined $2K each for illegal baitfish sales in northern Ont.
An Ontario man and a Quebec resident have each been fined $2,000 for their part in the illegal sale of baitfish in 2021, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).
A gigantic school of Emerald Shiners in Lake Simcoe’s Kempenfelt Bay. (Shutterstock/Arvilla)
In a news release Friday, the ministry said Adam Mujanovic of Lucknow, Ont., pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the conditions of his commercial baitfish licence and was fined $2,000.
Geoffroy Giroux of Rouyn-Noranda, Que. Was also fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to failing to stop for a conservation officer, unlawfully buying baitfish for commercial purposes and unlawfully possessing more than 120 baitfish.
Justice Monique Mechefske heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay, on Jan. 23.
The court heard that on Feb. 8, 2021, a conservation officer heading off on a snowmobile patrol of Lake Nipissing when he observed an individual transferring Emerald Shiners from one vehicle to a container in another.
“Giroux saw the conservation officer and tried to evade him and was subsequently arrested,” the MNRF said in the release.
“Giroux did not have a licence to commercially buy or sell baitfish in Ontario.”
Conservation officials seized 21,600 shiners during the incident.
Later, the court heard that Mujanovic – who sold Giroux the shiners – failed to follow several conditions of his licence.
These conditions are put in place to ensure diseases are not transmitted to other fish through the use of baitfish, said the MNRF.
To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.
For more information about unsolved cases, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Group tied to Islamic State plotted fatal Ontario restaurant shooting: Crown
A gunman who is accused of killing a young Ontario man and shooting four of his family members at their small Mississauga restaurant in 2021 was allegedly part of a trio who had pledged allegiance to the listed terrorist group Islamic State, a Crown attorney said in an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
'We recognize there's more to do': Trudeau responds to U.S. senators' defence spending letter
Stopping short of offering the assurance U.S. senators are seeking, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is aware there's more work to do in order to see Canada meet NATO's defence spending target.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.