{"id":538740,"date":"2026-03-15T21:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T21:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538740\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T21:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T21:18:10","slug":"5k-fine-fishing-ban-for-algonquin-park-angler-found-with-73-fish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538740\/","title":{"rendered":"$5K fine, fishing ban for Algonquin Park angler found with 73 fish"},"content":{"rendered":"

A southern Ontario angler was fined $5K & banned from fishing for a year after authorities found him with of 73 bass in Algonquin Park \u2013 67 over the limit. <\/p>\n

A Toronto man has been fined $5,000 and banned from fishing in Ontario for a year after he was caught with 73 bass in Algonquin Provincial Park<\/a> \u2013 67 more than the legal limit.<\/p>\n

Mykola Bondaruk pleaded guilty to possessing 67 bass over the legal limit. Justice of the Peace Jennifer L. Grant heard the case on Nov. 17, 2025, in Pembroke.<\/p>\n

In addition to a $5,000 fine, Bondaruk is prohibited from all fishing-related activities in Ontario for one year.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ontario Conservation Officer A conservation officer is shown standing near the shore of a lake in Ontario with the Ministry of Natural Resources crest displayed on the sleeve of their uniform. (File photo\/Supplied\/Ministry of Natural Resources) Officers discover violation on the water<\/p>\n

The court heard that on Aug. 21, 2025, conservation officers inspecting Sec Lake<\/a> in Algonquin Provincial Park encountered Bondaruk, who had been fishing from a rowboat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe officers\u2019 inspection on the water revealed Bondaruk was in possession of a mix of 38 largemouth and smallmouth bass,\u201d the Ministry of Natural Resources<\/a> said in a court bulletin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The lake is located in Fisheries Management Zone 15, where the sport fishing possession limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass combined is six.<\/p>\n

\"\"Smallmouth bass A predator smallmouth bass is shown in this stock photo. (File photo\/Fisheries and Oceans Canada) Additional fish found at campsite<\/p>\n

Following the initial inspection, officers proceeded to Bondaruk\u2019s waterfront campsite.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Bondaruk\u2019s waterfront campsite, an additional 35 bass were located in coolers, bags and pans,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n

The combined total of bass in Bondaruk\u2019s possession was 73.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ontario Conservation Office vehicle truck An Ontario conservation officer vehicle is seen in this undated file image. (File photo\/Supplied\/Ministry of Natural Resources) Ministry emphasizes conservation<\/p>\n

The ministry used the case to remind the public of the importance of fishing regulations, particularly within the 7,635-square-kilometre provincial park, which is a popular destination for outdoor activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOntario\u2019s fisheries are regulated to ensure a species protection, conservation and affords us an opportunity to make memories that last a lifetime,\u201d said MNR Conservation Officer Ron Arnold in a social media video<\/a> released alongside the court bulletin.<\/p>\n

\"\"MNR conservation officer Ron Arnold Ontario conservation officer Ron Arnold is shown in this undated photo. (File photo\/Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources) <\/p>\n

\u201cPlease respect our fisheries and follow the regulations,\u201d Arnold said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to note, millions of visitors and residents do not break these laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers<\/a> anonymously.<\/p>\n

For more information about unsolved cases, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORIES:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A southern Ontario angler was fined $5K & banned from fishing for a year after authorities found him…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538741,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[210537,210538,33624,23294,53265,49,9211,48,3208,130334,8636,210539,4689,210545,713,210543,5433,124957,54043,110449,44,905,210540,210541,210544,210546,124952,28442,16897,210542,3302],"class_list":["post-538740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-algonquin-provincial-park","tag-angler","tag-ban","tag-banned","tag-bass","tag-ca","tag-camp","tag-canada","tag-court","tag-fined","tag-fish","tag-fisherman","tag-fishing","tag-guilty","tag-justice","tag-largemouth","tag-law","tag-ministry","tag-mnr","tag-natural-resources","tag-news","tag-ontario","tag-over-limit","tag-overlimit","tag-pembroke","tag-pleaded","tag-poacher","tag-poaching","tag-regulations","tag-smallmouth","tag-toronto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}