Richmond company fined $40,000 for undersized crabs, 2nd offence in 4 years

Evidence presented in court against Tenshi Seafood Limited, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

A Richmond, B.C., seafood processing company has been fined tens of thousands of dollars for possessing undersized crabs, Fisheries and Oceans Canada says.

Tenshi Seafood Limited pleaded guilty to possession of undersize crabs by a commercial business last December, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, or DFO, said in a news release Tuesday. The offence violates Canada's Fisheries Act.

The guilty plea stemmed from a routine inspection DFO said happened in January 2023. DFO said it's the second "significant" fine for the company, which was also ordered to pay $75,000 in January 2020 for obstruction.

"The harvest of undersized crab is the largest threat to conservation of Dungeness crab stocks, which is a traditional food source for Indigenous communities and core to the livelihood of commercial crab harvesters," DFO's news release said.

"Dungeness crab is also a significant economic benefit to coastal communities; specifically, the recreational fishery industry and tourism."

DFO explained size limits are used as a conservation measure in crab fisheries. The size limit for male Dungeness crabs is 165 millimetres across the hard, upper shell. Female Dungeness crabs cannot be kept.