June 29, 2009
Bridge Check Finds High Levels of Compliance
The Ministry
of Natural Resources laid four charges and issued seven warnings during a joint
enforcement blitz with Canadian Wildlife Service on Saturday, June 20, 2009
at the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia.
The station was set up to check both provincial and federal fish and game regulations.
Conservation officers made 179 contacts, while checking 63 vehicles from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee during the 15-hour operation. This season's bridge check showed a marked improvement over the previous season's blitz, with a much higher compliance rate. In particular, more anglers were properly packaging fish they caught for transport, so they could be readily identified and counted, as required under the legislation.
Conservation officers occasionally
use border point or roadside check stations in various areas of Ontario to enforce
fish and wildlife regulations. This operation was carried out with the co-operation
of staff from the Bluewater Bridge Authority.
For further information on fishing regulations, please consult the 2008-2009
Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government
Information Centres, licence issuers and at ontario.ca/fishing.
To report a natural resources
violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your
local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime
Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).