Conservation officers are investigating possible illegal poaching or other irregular fishing practices in the Coquitlam River after receiving reports about fish nets and spear fishing in the area.
“We will definitely be looking into the alleged activity,” said Sgt. Todd Hunter of the BC Conservation Officers Service.
Hunter confirmed that he had received a report of someone netting fish in the river on the Port Coquitlam side at Maple Street and will investigate another report about fish being speared on the other side of the river at Lafleur Street, also in PoCo.
Both activities are likely illegal, Hunter said; fishing requires a licence and a fish retention stamp while spearing salmon is not allowed.
“People are getting greedy with these salmon and they’ll do anything to take them, they’ll break the law,” Hunter said.
But one local resident believes the fish are being stabbed for fun and left to die.
“It’s sad that it’s happening,” said John Hedetniemi.
The Port Coquitlam resident has been finding dead fish with a hole poked into them lying on rocks or gravel at the side of the riverbank almost daily for the last two weeks. He throws them back into the river only to find a few more on the bank the next time he visits.
Sometimes the head is gone but, other times, the whole fish is there with a penny-sized hole in its body.
“It does not look like an animal but someone taking pleasure in killing the chum salmon for no reason,” Hedetniemi said.
Hunter said that when a fish is caught anywhere but in its mouth, it’s called foul hooking and it’s illegal.
“Not a lot of anglers do that, they take them them for food or let them go. Bottom line, it’s poaching and it’s not behaviour we like to see.”
