ILLEGAL OUTFITTING RESULTS IN FINES FOR RECREATIONAL LEASE HOLDER

A Meota-area resident has been convicted of illegal outfitting under the Outfitter and Guide Regulations, 1996 and fined $7,500 at provincial court in North Battleford.

The man has a recreational lease and cabin on Close Lake and was charging people to use it to fish on the lake. He did not have a licence to operate as an outfitter. Close Lake is about 80 kilometres northeast of the Key Lake Mine site.

"Activities such as illegal outfitting put an extra strain on the resource, especially in northern areas where fish populations do not rebound quickly," Saskatchewan Environment Conservation Officer Gary Provencher said. "Illegal outfitting also affects the livelihood of existing licensed outfitters."

Saskatchewan Environment monitors provincial fish populations and uses that information to determine how many outfitting licences should be issued. Currently all of the opportunities for outfitting for anglers in Saskatchewan have been allocated.

"There is a limit as to how many fish can be taken from our lakes," Provencher said. "For fisheries managers to ensure fish populations are sustainable over the long term, recreational leaseholders must observe the conditions of their leases and refrain from offering and/or providing angling services for commercial purposes."

The province's fisheries generate $118 million of economic activity and are used by commercial fisherman, subsistence fishermen and about 230,000 sport anglers.

Anyone who is aware of or suspects wildlife, fisheries or environmental violations is encouraged to report them to the nearest Saskatchewan Environment office or to call the province's toll-free Turn In Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-667-7561.

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For More Information, Contact:

Gary Provencher Environment Saskatoon Phone: (306) 933-7928