Fisherman fined $17,000 for fake license

by Greg Bennett

The Coast Guard

A previously unheard of fishing violation has landed a Shelburne County fisherman fines totaling $17,000.

On Wednesday Jan. 16, in Shelburne Provincial court Joey Oickle, of Shelburne County, was handed down the fines for leasing the use of a fake lobster license to a fellow fisherman.

After an investigation in April 2007 by three Fisheries and Oceans Offices, it was discovered that Oickle created, with the help of a computer, a forged area 33 Lobster license.

Oickle had leased the forged license to a local fisherman for $5000. He also kept his normal job while the other fisherman fished the license and paid Oickle 20 percent of the total worth of the catch.

The fraud came to the attention of Fisheries and Oceans after a routine check of a lobster license by Shelburne DFO officers on April 10.

Three days later ten officers searched Oickle’s residence, seizing documents and a computer.

Oickle was charged with fraud under section 380(1) of the Criminal code, fishing with a license without being named in the license under section 13(1)(c) of the Atlantic Fishery Regulations and fishing without a personal fisher’s registration 14(1)(a) of the Atlantic Fisheries Regulations.

He pled guilty to all three charges and was sentenced to fines of $8150 and ordered to pay back $8850 in proceeds from his crime.