{"result":"update_story","description":"<p><meta charset=\"utf-8\" \/>An Ontario resident has been handed a hefty fine after being caught overharvesting oysters while vacationing in BC this past summer. <\/p> <p dir=\"ltr\">Raul Dumelod was recently fined $5,500 after being found guilty of catching and retaining oysters over the daily limit and fishing without a valid license in Buckley Bay, BC, in August of 2024. <\/p> <p dir=\"ltr\"><img alt=\"&lt;who&gt; Photo Credit: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region\" class=\"img-responsive\" src=\"\/files\/files\/images\/Fisheries_and_Oceans_Canada__Pacific_Region_Ontario_vacationer_f.jpg\" style=\"margin: 5px;\" \/><\/p> <p dir=\"ltr\">On August 29, 2024, fishery officers were patrolling the Buckley Bay\/Union Bay area on Vancouver Island during low tide when they observed Dumelod with a large bucket. <\/p> <p dir=\"ltr\">After checking if Dumelod had been harvesting shellfish in the area and if he had a license to do so, officers found that Dumelod had two large buckets filled with oysters in his van and no valid tidal waters fishing license. <\/p>\n\t\t<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1515615292703-0\" class=\"dfp-ad dfp-in-content\" style=\"margin-bottom:15px;\">\n\t\t<script>\n\t\t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(\"div-gpt-ad-1515615292703-0\"); });\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t <p dir=\"ltr\">Officers then discovered that Dumelod had 312 oysters, 300 more than the daily limit and that the area he had been harvesting from was clearly marked as a commercial oyster lease with no harvesting permitted. Signage in the area indicated that recreational harvesting was located a short distance north. <\/p> <p dir=\"ltr\">&ldquo;It is everyone&#39;s responsibility to know the rules before they go out on the water, and to play their part in ensuring that BC&#39;s fish species and their habitats are protected and sustained,&rdquo; reads a press release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.<\/p> <p dir=\"ltr\">&ldquo;It is especially important for tourists to make sure they are fully informed of the rules on where and what they can fish and, in the case of shellfish, where harvesting poses a risk to human health.&rdquo;<\/p> <p> <\/p>","title":"Ontario resident fined for overharvesting oysters while vacationing in BC"}