London man fined $3,000 for fishing and hunting violations

A London man has received a total of $3,000 in fines as the result of a number of fishing and hunting violations.

In late April, a provincial court heard that conservation officers were conducting a patrol in the Strathroy-Caradoc area when they observed the man from a distance.

During their observation, the officers said they saw the man enter into the bush in full camouflage and with what appeared to be a firearm.

The officers then approached the man’s truck to see him later emerge from the bush without a firearm. An inspection of the man’s truck also revealed a pail containing 73 fish fillets, 34 of which were skinless and unidentifiable.

The man’s loaded rifle was then located by officers, despite the man’s denial of the weapon’s presence. Further investigation also revealed the man had been hunting on two different properties without landowner permission.

The man pleaded guilty to all violations. He was fined $500 for possessing fish that could not be easily identified, $1,000 for trespassing while in possession of a firearm, $1,000 for knowingly making a false statement to a conservation officer and $500 for failing to wear hunter orange during a controlled deer hunt.