B.C. guide fined $12,000 for fishing violations off Haida Gwaii

A B.C. man was fined $12,000 for overfishing and other fishing-related offences after two inspections in 2023, the DFO said. Photo by DFO

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A B.C. fishing guide has been fined $12,000 for overfishing and using a false fishing licence in Haida Gwaii three years ago.

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Jean-Marc Cyr was leading fishing trips in Haida Gwaii in summer 2023 when he came to the attention of fishery officers, according to the federal Fisheries Department.

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In an inspection in July 2023, fishery officers found Cyr had reached the annual limit for chinook on his licence and had recorded catching seven halibut, said the department on Thursday.

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Recreational fishers in the Pacific region are limited to a catch of 10 chinook and 10 halibut a season.

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When officers conducted a second inspection the next month, Cyr showed them a licence with different information. Upon questioning, Cyr admitted the licence was a reprinted copy. Officers also found Cyr had one chinook salmon and one halibut over the legal limits.

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On March 5, Cyr was convicted in Daajing Giids provincial court of providing false documents, making a false or misleading statement to a fishery officer and possessing fish over the legal limits under the federal Fisheries Act, the department said.

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He was fined $12,000 — $5,000 each for the first two charges and $2,000 for overfishing — and is banned from fishing until June 21.

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Fisheries officer Steve Closter said overfishing and providing misleading information are relatively common offences, but the use of false documents was something he hadn’t encountered before.

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“This is the first for me where I caught someone printing out another licence and using it,” he said. “We know this happens, and we do our best to fine people doing it.”

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In addition to his ban, Cyr is required to provide an up-to-date copy of his licence and all catch information to the local DFO detachment each month that he’s working as a guide until the end of 2027.

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The DFO said fishermen and guides are required by law to accurately document all retained catch and to provide those records to fishery officers upon request. Accurate reporting is needed to ensure sustainable fish stock and support conversation measures, it said.

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