11 face charges of salmon poaching near Deer Lake, N.L. power plant

By Ashley Fitzpatrick

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

DEER LAKE, N.L. — A 15-month investigation of a salmon poaching operation on the Humber River at Deer Lake concluded Friday, Aug. 22 with upwards of 30 criminal charges expected to be laid against 11 men.

The charges, which are still being finalized according to a Department of Justice official, include the possession of altered salmon tags, illegal possession of salmon, trafficking of Atlantic salmon, and exceeding daily and seasonal bag limits.

The investigation began last year and was conducted by the Inland Fisheries Enforcement Program (IFEP).

The operation was a result of complaints from local residents and two local salmon conservation groups: the Salmon Preservation Association for the Waters of Newfoundland (SPAWN) and the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF).

The names of the accused have not yet been released, but the men are set to appear in court Thursday morning, according to a justice department spokesman.

“As part of the operation, officers seized two vehicles, 20 salmon and other fishing-related equipment,” noted the official.

The accused fishermen operated in the area known as the Tailrace, a popular spot for anglers, just off the highway and across from the Deer Lake power station.

John McCarthy, president of SPAWN, weighed in on the operation.

“I’d like to congratulate the whole activity,” said McCarthy. “Everyone, I think, knows that this area has been abused for years.”

According to McCarthy, there should be little sympathy for anyone caught poaching salmon in the waters of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“The people who are doing things illegally are basically robbing resources from those who are doing things legally,” said McCarthy. “I have no pity for them.”

Don Ivany, the ASF’s regional director for Newfoundland and Labrador, has also spoken out against salmon poachers. Ivany, like McCarthy, also tipped his hat to the enforcement officers involved in the Deer Lake operation.

“Obviously I want to congratulate the Inland Fisheries Enforcement staff for a job well done,” said Ivany. “It just shows that when the public and conservation groups and enforcement officials work together, good things can happen.”

It is important that people acknowledge the hard work of enforcement officials and the need to protect provincial resources, Ivany added.

“Thousands of extra fish are taken in this province every year,” he said. “Our resource can’t withstand this type of abuse.”

While the total number of salmon believed to have been taken throughout the investigation has not been released, the 20 salmon confiscated last week would cover the quota for three people, as the seasonal retention limit for an angler on the Humber River near Deer Lake is six salmon.

(Ashley Fitzpatrick is a journalist with Transcontinental Media’s Western Star, which is a contributor to the Sou’Wester.)