BC man ordered to pay $37K for illegally fishing off the northwest coast

A BC fisherman has been fined and ordered to pay a hefty fine for illegally fishing off the northwest coast.

According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Stefan Grega, owner of the commercial fishing vessel the Pacific Sunrise, pled guilty to multiple violations under the Fisheries Act on May 22, 2025.

The violations stem from the 2022-2023 season, Grega illegally retained and sold fish caught in the Haida Gwaii archipelago during a fishery closure.

The court imposed a $30,000 fine and ordered Grega to pay an additional $6,989.35, which represents proceeds from the illegal harvest, DFO said.

A news release says DFO manages groundfish fisheries for seven distinct commercial sectors on the Pacific coast.

The fisheries are highly regulated and managed to conserve the stocks of groundfish trawl, halibut, sablefish, inside rockfish, outside rockfish, lingcod, and dogfish.

The fisheries are also protected to support the economic properties of communities who fish in the Pacific region.

DFO’s inspection process relies on several tools and programs, including fishing logbooks, electronic monitoring video systems, the dockside monitoring program and the groundfish audit system.

Grega’s illegal activities were identified and investigated through those means, DFO said.

Members of the public are asked to report illegal activities or any contraventions of the Fisheries Act by calling DFO Pacific Region’s toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336, or emailing the details to [email protected].