Property owner fined $60,000 for destroying vital fish habitat on Vancouver Island, B.C.
Canada News Centre
10 Jun 2025, 22:31 GMT+10
June 10, 2025
Courtenay, BC - Protecting fish and fish habit is vital to help sustain and support Canada's precious marine species. Under Canada's Fisheries Act, measures must be taken to avoid causing the death of fish and any harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat when conducting any work or activities in or near water.
On January 23, 2025, in Courtenay Provincial Court, area resident David Tingley was found guilty of failing to correct work that he had done illegally on his property, that affected fish and fish habitat on the Trent River. Mr. Tingley was fined $60,000, which was directed to the Environmental Damages Fund for the conservation and protection of salmon and salmon habitat in the Vancouver Island region.
The case stems from work carried out without Fisheries Act authorization over successive years on one of Mr. Tingley's properties, which is bisected by the Trent River, an important fish bearing watercourse.
DFO protects and conserves marine resources, and enforces the Fisheries Act . As part of DFO's work to disrupt and prevent 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 DFO Pacific Region's toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336, or email the details to DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
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