The below was taken from the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Facebook Page and posted with their permission. Congratulations go to them for the fine job on this investigation.

Well if the title of this news piece doesn’t pique your interest “and” get your blood churning, then you best sell all your fishing gear and take up badminton.

The image here shows a “gross” amount of fish (multiple species) that were killed for the intention of selling. Current prices of legally sold fish like Walleye, for instance, are quite high (15-20+ dollars per pound) so fish “meat” is a sought after commodity. We’re not sure as to what the going rate of poached fish bodies is but we can pretty much guarantee the end pricing is undercutting any legal sales considerably. This of course also affects the grocery and restaurant industries. Not good, no matter how you slice it.

We sometimes come across YouTube videos of enforcement officers discovering illegal gill netting and it’s not always in Canada. This type of poaching happens world-wide.

This video shows you how deadly and devastating gill nets can be especially if left out for extended amounts of time. We suggest if you find such a net call your local Natural Resources office and see what they suggest to do.

Another hot subject in this genre is the native issue. When we look at native communities netting fish for sustenance where legal, that’s fine, go ahead and feed your family. However, when it’s taken to the level of illegally selling fish, there are lots wrong with this and it needs to be dealt with.

It’s unfortunate that stories like this arise but the fact is, these stories tell us what’s going on out there and more importantly, tell us that something is being done.

Of course, for every poaching crime committed, there is only a small number where the perpetrators are caught and prosecuted. We bet there are 10+ times that many committed that are never seen by anyone.

It’s sad but it’s true.

Here’s the story: