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A BC man has been fined thousands of dollars for destroying “vital fish habitat” while completing illegal work on his property.
On Tuesday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) said David Tingley, a Courtenay resident, was found guilty on January 23, 2025 of failing to correct the work.
The work happened without authorization over "successive years.”
It affected fish and fish habitats in the Trent River, which is identified as an important fish bearing river, the DFO said.
A picture that was submitted as evidence during the trial and shared in the statement shows an excavator digging up the banks and filling in portions of the river.
According to DFO, Tingley was ordered to remediate the damage to the riverbank in May 2020.
The statement from DFO said he failed to comply with the rear, which resulted in charges of failing to follow the direction of a fishery officer.
Earlier this year, Tingley was fined $60,000, which will go to the Environmental Damages Fund for the conservation and protection of salmon and salmon habitat in the Vancouver Island region.