MNR News Release – Windsor Anglers Fined
Two Windsor men have been fined a total of $3,100 for having 31 more walleye than their sport fishing licences allowed.
John Willner and Michael Paul Landry were each charged with one count of possessing more than the sport fishing licence quota of fish and one count of possessing fish that have been skinned so the species cannot be easily identified. The men pleaded guilty to both charges. They were each fined $1,550 and banned from angling in Ontario for two years.
The court heard that on June 16, 2012, Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers and Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police officers stopped several vehicles leaving Rice Lake. The people in the vehicles had been staying at local fishing lodges. Willner and Landry’s vehicle was found to contain a large cooler of fish that had been frozen in bags. At the time of the inspection, the men admitted to officers that they had caught and kept a large number of walleye.
Justice of the Peace Stephen Lancaster heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Peterborough, on September 13, 2012.
The legal catch and possession limit for walleye in Fisheries Management Zone 17 for holders of a sport fishing licence is four, each measuring between 35 and 50 centimetres (13.8 and 19.7 inches) long. Any fish transported by anglers must be packaged so the fish can be easily counted and the species identified.
For further information on fishing regulations, please consult the 2012 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, from licence issuers and at ontario.ca/fishing.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
