Yukon Railway Company was fined for dumping harmful substance in Bennett Lake, Yukon. (Photo: Stock File/FIS)

USD 100,000 fine given for violating Fisheries Act

CANADA
Friday, September 14, 2012, 22:30 (GMT + 9)

British Yukon Railway Company Limited, also known as White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, was fined CAD 100,000 (USD 102,564) in Yukon Territorial Court on 12 September, 2012 for violating section 36 (3) of the Fisheries Act. The fine follows a guilty plea to the charge by the company in June of this year.

In July 2009, the company was charged for unlawfully depositing a deleterious substance in water inhabited by fish. The violation occurred near Bennett Lake in the Yukon Territory and British Columbia (BC) and was observed by a Fishery Officer from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) during a routine boat patrol.

Of the CAD 100,000 fine, the court directed that British Yukon Railway pay CAD 99,000  (USD 101,538) to be used for projects promoting the conservation and protection of fisheries and the habitat on which they rely in Bennett Lake and the surrounding area.

The infilling and deposit of fill material, particularly sediment, in Bennett Lake affects fish that support active First Nations, commercial, and recreational fisheries in the area.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is committed to the conservation and protection of northern fish stocks and fish habitat through public awareness, regulations, partnerships and, where necessary, enforcement action.

editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com

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