Vancouver Seafood Retailer Yat Ming Enterprises Fined a Total of $72,500 for Repeated Violations of the Fisheries Act

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 23, 2017) - A major investigation by Fisheries and Oceans Canada Conservation and Protection fishery officers halted the illegal sale of Dungeness crab and spot prawn to Yat Ming Enterprises Ltd. in March 2014.

On July 22, 2016, the Honourable Judge St. Pierre accepted a guilty plea by lawyers for the company in Vancouver Provincial Court and handed down the $72,500 fine. The judge also ordered Yat Ming Enterprises to abide by numerous stringent conditions to prove the legality of their seafood products, for a period of two years. The conditions include a prohibition on receiving deliveries of any local Dungeness crab or local spot prawn between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. and reporting time periods, species, quantities, harvest location and other details of deliveries that occur to DFO.

Quick Facts

• In July 2016, lawyers for Yat Ming Enterprises Ltd. pleaded guilty to purchasing fish illegally in January, February and March of 2014.
• The seafood purchased was harvested during a closed time. The legal commercial spot prawn season is generally open May through June.
• Only fish caught under a licence, which permits the sale or purchase of fish, may be purchased or sold. Any fish sold must be processed through a licensed plant to ensure quality and public safety. Fish that has not been inspected may be unsafe for consumption.
• DFO implements these measures to achieve the conservation and sustainable use of Canada's aquatic resources and the protection of species at risk, fish habitat and oceans.
• In a previous case heard in February 2014, Yat Ming Enterprises pleaded guilty and was fined $12,000 for possessing a significant number of undersized Dungeness crab in their Kingsway seafood store's live holding tanks.

The Government of Canada is committed to safeguarding the long-term health and productivity of Canada's fisheries resources, and the habitat that supports them, for generations to come. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a mandate to protect and conserve marine resources and to prosecute offenders under the Fisheries Act. It ensures and promotes compliance with the Act and other laws and regulations through a combination of land, air and sea patrols, as well as education and awareness activities. As part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's work to end illegal activity, the Department asks the public for information on activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336.

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