Fishing vessel at the centre of undersized lobsters case burned at shipyard

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

Last spring the fishing vessel Kayla and Dylan was in the news for being involved in what DFO was calling the largest seizure of illegal lobster in southwestern Nova Scotia. Now the vessel is back in the news because it has been the subject of a fire.

The RCMP are calling the fire “extremely suspicious” and are investigating. The police are also looking for the public’s assistance.

The fishing boat, which was seized by DFO at the Wedgeport Tuna Wharf last May – just a few days before the commercial lobster fishery was to end – was being held at a private boatyard in Shelburne while the case weaved its way through the court. The blaze was reported around midnight Tuesday, with firefighters spending the very early morning hours of Wednesday fighting the fire. The fishing vessel sustained extensive damage.

There are reports of witnesses noticing a ladder proper up against the side of the boat following the fire that allegedly was not there before the incident.

Two other commercial fishing vessels on either side of the Yarmouth County boat were also damaged. The fire will put some people, including some shore workers, out of work for a short while.

On the evening of May 26, the Kayla and Dylan was seized, along with a rental cube truck, after fisheries officers said they found crates containing than 5,530 undersized lobsters on the boat.

The vessel’s three-person crew was arrested and charged. While there have been many court dates in the case, only one person has been fined after pleading guilty. Court dates to receive a plea from the captain have been repeatedly adjourned. Daniel Edward Doucette had a court appearance scheduled earlier in the month. Last week the matter was adjourned to a court date set for Nov. 20, in Barrington. On that day the plea was adjourned to Dec. 4.

A third person charged in the case, Earl Patrick Boudreau, has entered a not guilty plea and will be back in court in March.

In an earlier court appearance in Yarmouth, Crown attorney James DiPersio said he had been in discussions with the lawyer representing the captain of the vessel, who wanted to post a bond for the release of the vessel.

In September, crewmember Randall James Muise of Yarmouth was fined $12,500 in the case. The court called it a significant fine because of its size, but mainly because crewmembers tend not to receive fines when an incident occurs on a vessel. Such penalties are usually only reserved for the captain.