Ontario resident fined for overharvesting oysters while vacationing in BC

An Ontario resident has been handed a hefty fine after being caught overharvesting oysters while vacationing in BC this past summer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“It is everyone's responsibility to know the rules before they go out on the water, and to play their part in ensuring that BC's fish species and their habitats are protected and sustained,” reads a press release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“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.”