MNR Staff Report

Stanley Kosiorec Jr. of Cranesville, Penn., and James Roesler of Coon Valley, Wis., both pleaded guilty under the Ontario Fishery Regulations to having an over-limit of walleye and were fined $2,200 each.

They are not allowed to fish in Ontario for one year.

The court heard that on Sept. 28, during a routine aerial patrol, a Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer contacted the men at an outpost camp on MacDowell Lake, north of the Town of Red Lake. They told the officer they had a total of seven walleye but, upon inspection, the officer found they had 25 walleye — 21 over their combined limit. Each man’s fishing license allowed him to possess two walleye, of which only one could be longer than 46 centimeters (18 inches), but they had a combined total of six beyond the allowable length. Their fish and fishing equipment were seized and forfeited to the Crown.

Justice of the Peace Marjorie Pasloski heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Red Lake, on Feb. 22.

The ministry reminds anglers that if a fish in a restricted size range is caught, it must release it immediately. When measuring fish, total length is a measure from the tip of the mouth with the jaws closed to the tip of the tail, with the tail fin lobes compressed to give the maximum possible length.

Lake of the Woods

Dorion Ozykowski, Rainy River, Ontario, pleaded guilty under the Ontario Fishery Regulations and was fined $1,000 for possessing 10 walleye over his legal possession limit.

The court heard that on Sept. 9 Ozykowski was found by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Baudette-Rainy River International Bridge to have 14 freshly-filleted walleye. A Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer was alerted. Ozykowski told the officer that he didn’t know how many fish he actually had or was entitled to. He said that someone from the group he fished with on Lake of the Woods, north of the Canada-U.S. border, gave him the fish, but refused to disclose the names of his fishing party. Ozykowski's fishing license entitled him to possess four walleye caught from Lake of the Woods. All of his fish were seized and forfeited to the Crown.

Justice of the Peace Pat Clydesdale-Cornell heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in Rainy River on March 8.

The ministry reminds the public that it is illegal to stockpile large quantities of fish. An individual may not have more fish than the possession limit of that species. Possession is considered to include storing fish at home, at other locations, in freezers, holding them in live wells or even having eaten them as part of a day's meal.