A Canadian man was fined CAD 5,000 (USD 3,582, EUR 3,077) after being convicted of taking 1,750 pounds of clams without a commercial license.
Albert Joseph Thomas Blaney was caught with the illegally harvested clams in January 2023 during routine inspections by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) officers. The officers observed a vehicle departing the Heriot Bay B.C. Ferries terminal on Quadra Island near Campbell River, British Columbia, with several bags of clams, despite the commercial season being closed at the time. The officers approached the vehicle, and a subsequent inspection revealed 22 sacks of clams totaling 1,750 pounds without any legally required tags.
DFO said the incident took place on Klahoose First Nation territory and the nation supported the investigation.
The Campbell River Provincial Court convicted Blaney of two violations of Canada’s Fisheries Act on 12 November and ordered him to pay a fine of CAD 5,000.
“Fisheries and Oceans Canada's [DFO] fishery officers support ongoing efforts to protect and sustain Canada’s precious marine resources,” the department said in a release. “Unlicensed harvesting can deplete the resource, remove the opportunity for other licensed harvesters, and threaten the significant economic and social benefit to coastal communities, including recreational fisheries, tourism, the livelihood of commercial harvesters, and traditional food sources for Indigenous people.”
