Justice and Public Safety
May 20, 2015

Violations of the Fish and Wildlife Act Lead to Convictions

Separate investigations last year by Fish and Wildlife Enforcement officers of the Gander detachment have led to convictions for two individuals for violations of the Fish and Wildlife Act related to illegal salmon fishing and big game hunting.

On June 30, 2014, officers received an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers of illegal netting activity in the Salmon Pond area near Glenwood. After conducting surveillance, a male was ultimately arrested and charged with a number of offences.

On May 8, 2015, at Provincial Court in Gander, Andrew Calder of Glenwood was convicted of possessing a net near inland waters and for possession of untagged salmon. Mr. Calder received $3,000 in fines, is prohibited from being within 10 metres of inland waters and from fishing inland waters for four years. He is also prohibited from holding any fishing licence for four years.

During a routine patrol on October 1, 2014, officers came upon a male individual who was ultimately charged for hunting big game without a licence. As a result of this investigation, Lynn Brown of Summerford was convicted on May 5, 2015, at Provincial Court in Gander. Mr. Brown received a $1,000 fine and was banned from hunting for five years.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to protecting the province's resources and to ensuring that they remain available for those who respect legislation concerning the proper management and conservation of fish and game. The public can play a significant role in assisting officers in protecting the province's natural resources by reporting any suspicious activity. This can be done anonymously and toll-free at any time of the day, by calling 1-877-820-0999, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Anonymous online reports can also be submitted at www.stoppoaching.ca or www.nlcrimestoppers.com .

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Media contact:
Luke Joyce
Director of Communications
Department of Justice and Public Safety
709-729-6985, 725-4165
lukejoyce@gov.nl.ca

2015 05 20                             11:55 a.m.