June 5, 2018
Two eastern Ontario men have been fined a total of $1,500 for fishing offences under the Ontario Fishery Regulations.
Daniel Olmstead of Maynooth pleaded guilty to fishing for rainbow trout during the closed season and was fined $500.
Gregory Eagles of Belleville pleaded guilty to fishing for rainbow trout during the closed season and was fined $1,000. Eagles also received a one-year fishing licence suspension. Court took into consideration Eagles’ previous convictions for fishing offences in determining his penalty.
Court heard that on Saturday, April 21, 2018, a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry conservation officer was on patrol in Northumberland County, near the village of Grafton, when he located the two men angling for rainbow trout in Shelter Valley Creek. The fishing season for trout would not open until the following Saturday.
Justice of the Peace Jack Leblanc heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Cobourg, on May 30, 2018.
Anglers are reminded that they cannot fish for trout or salmon year-round in Shelter Valley Creek. With a few exceptions, the open season for trout and salmon in Fisheries Management Zone 17 begins on the fourth Saturday in April and ends on September 30th of each year. For more information on fishing regulations, please consult the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary available at Ontario.ca/fishing.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 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). And visit Ontario.ca/mnrftips to view an interactive, searchable map of unsolved cases. You may be able to provide information that will help solve a case.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
