Two women have been fined nearly $10,000 for illegally harvesting shellfish in Baynes Sound last year.
Richmond resident Diosa Delacruz was fined $4,500 and given a one-year fishing ban for fishing without a licence, and retaining more than the daily quota for clams and oysters. Her companion Rosemarie Allam from Nanaimo received a $5,000 fine and a two-year fishing ban last year. Most of the clams they took were also under the legal size limit.
They were caught by Fisheries and Oceans officers in May 2024, harvesting in the Baynes Sound Recreational Shellfish Harvest Reserve, which extends between Buckley Bay and Union Bay. It’s often the site of illegal harvesting and over-retention, DFO says, adding it’s up to harvesters to know the rules before engaging in any fishing activities.
