Sault man fined $3K for abandoning ice fishing hut

An individual from northeastern Ontario has been fined $3,000 for multiple ice fishing violations, including abandoning the hut on a lake and allowing it to sink.

Benjamin Halcrow of Sault Ste. Marie was found guilty of unlawfully placing a fishing hut on the ice with the prescribed number not displayed, unlawfully leaving a fishing hut in Fisheries Management Zone 10 after March 31 and unlawfully depositing materials on ice.

Halcrow was fined $3,000 and received a one-year fishing licence suspension.

The Ontario Court of Justice heard that an investigation was completed after complaints from the public about an ice hut being left on Upper Island Lake in Aweres Township during winter 2025.

Encased in ice

“The ice hut was neglected throughout the winter months and gradually sank into the ice until the base of the hut and all its contents were encased in ice,” Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources said in a news release March 6.

“In mid-April 2025, concerned residents of Upper Island Lake cut out and removed the ice hut from the lake before it broke through the ice and into the water.”

An investigation revealed that in January 2025, Halcrow placed the ice hut on the ice without displaying the ice hut’s registration number on the outside.

“Halcrow left the hut on the ice past the March 31 removal deadline as required in Fisheries Management Zone 10 and abandoned the hut and its contents, causing them to be deposited on the ice,” the MNR said.

Huts must be removed

“Ice hut owners in Fisheries Management Zones 9 to 12 and 14 to 20 must register any non‑fabric hut or fabric tents seven metres squared or larger and display the registration number clearly on the exterior. Ice hut owners must also remove huts by the required regional deadline.”

The case was heard by Justice of the Peace Jean-Marie Blier on Dec. 11 in the Ontario Court of Justice in Sault Ste. Marie.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667.

To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, click here.