2 men found guilty of illegal prawn fishing in B.C., fined more than $40K total

Spot prawns are seen in this undated image. (Shutterstock)

Two men have been fined a combined total of more than $40,000 over illegal prawn fishing they engaged in during the 2022 B.C. spot prawn season.

Scott Castle and Terry Lorenz were each recently found guilty in Nanaimo provincial court, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in a news release Wednesday.

In late April, the court found Castle guilty of “remotely directing” Lorenz to illegally fish in a closed area of Stuart Channel near Ladysmith “over several days,” according to the DFO. He was also convicted of illegally selling the prawns harvested from the closed area and not completing his “fish slips,” which were required under the conditions of his licence.

On May 15, Lorenz was found guilty of the same offences, the DFO said.

According to the department, the case stems from a report it received on May 30, 2022, regarding “a vessel fishing during a commercial prawn fishery closure in several sub-areas off the south coast of Vancouver Island.”

“Fishing in a closed area depletes the population of female prawns needed for reproduction,” the DFO release reads.

“Retaining undersize prawns prevents smaller males from mating and reaching maturity.”

Castle was fined $30,000 for his offences, plus an additional $8,228, representing the proceeds of his sale of the illegally harvested prawns.

Lorenz, who is described throughout the DFO release as the “vessel master,” received a $3,000 fine and was banned from fishing for five years.

The DFO asks anyone with information about violations of the federal Fisheries Act and its associated regulations to contact its toll-free reporting line at 800-465-4336 or to email [e-mail].