Alberta anglers frown on fish poachers

A group of Alberta anglers traveled to a Pincher Creek courtoom this week towitness six men gettingcharged with illegally harvesting 29 fish from the Oldman River.

"To see this huge event of poaching take place, it was very personal for a lot of us," said concerned Calgary anglerJordan Pinkster.

He says he and five other Southern Alberta anglers were in court to observe the proceedings and "express solidarity" for the protected area of the river where the fish were poached.

"For conservation purposes, the Oldman River where the men caught the illegal fish is open to catch and release only. The illegal harvest of this number of vulnerable trout has a lasting impact on the population of fish," Alberta Fish and Wildlife said in a statement on their Facebook page.

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Wildlife officers responded to a tip called into their Report-A-Poacher line on June 24 and discovered six Lethbridge men in possession of 25 cutthroat trout and four bull trout both of which are at-risk, provincially protected species.

"They cleaned out a pretty big section of the river," said Pinkster.

Dhan Kumar Gurung, Harka Gurung, Sunny Gurung, Sha Bahadur Subba, Kanchan Subba andSuk Bahadur Subba were tried as a group on Tuesdayand pleaded guilty to the charges.

Each were fined $1,000 and had their fishing licencessuspended until 2016, at which point the men can apply again for new ones.

Calgary Eyeopener8:00Trout poaching in the Oldman River

We talk to a local angler about the problem of fish poaching in the Oldman River, and whether authorities are doing enough to combat the problem.

Their defence lawyer, Marshall Gourlay, told the Pincher Creek Voicethe men came to Canada from Bhutan as refugees and were not doing it for profit.

"They didn't seem like bad guys to me," said Pinkster.

"There was a quite personal story of where these guys camefrom and how they came to be in Canada. So it really sheds light on the human element of why they did what theydid and a lack of understanding that exists."

In the end, Pinkster says "ignorance isn't an excuse for this" because the river is clearly marked with signs stating that anglers can't keep the trout they catch.

"It's always the anglers' responsibility to know the rules in every single circumstance. If you're going to put a line in the water, you better know what the rules."