Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said a routine patrol led to fishery officers seizing snow crabs.
DFO reported officers from its Springdale detachment in Newfoundland and Labrador, while conducting a patrol, inspected a vessel and discovered roughly 860 pounds of snow crab that the department said was intended to be offloaded “without following the monitoring requirements as set out in the license conditions.”
The department said as a result of its discovery, fishery officers are now investigating seven violations of the nation's Fisheries Act.
No charges have been laid as of yet, and DFO said the investigation is still ongoing.
DFO added that under the Fisheries Act, officers have the authority to dispose of seized fish and shellfish at their discretion, whether by selling it, destroying it, or returning it to the water.
“In this case, the snow crab was sold, and the proceeds of the sale are being held until the prosecution concludes,” DFO said. “In the event of a conviction, the proceeds of the sale would be forfeited to the Crown. In the event of an acquittal, the proceeds of the sale would be returned to the defendants.”
