Fishing boat captain fined for spoiled fish

The captain of a Lake Erie commercial fishing boat must pay $5,000 in fines for leaving at least 880 kilograms of fish to rot in the waters near Essex County. Adelino Pombinha of Leamington has pleaded guilty to permitting fish suitable for human consumption to spoil, in violation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. The Wheatley-based commercial fishing company that Pombinha fishes under must also pay $2,500. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Pombinha was aboard the vessel Ethan P on March 6 — setting and leaving numerous gill nets at a location in Lake Erie near Essex County. On March 9, Pombinha returned to collect the nets and the fish in them. But when he left, 795 metres of netting remained in the water. The ministry’s Lake Erie management unit discovered the netting on May 9 — 65 days after Pombinha had set it out. At that point, the abandoned net was loaded with approximately 880 kilograms of fish “in various stages of decomposition.” Several species were found in the net, including lake sturgeon, walleye, white bass, white perch and yellow perch. Conservation officers in Wheatley and Parry Sound investigated the abandoned net, identifying Pombinha as the person responsible. The case was heard by the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor on Aug. 14. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry encourages the public to report natural resource violations by calling the toll-free tips line at 1-877-847-7667.