Feb. 23, 2026, 11:28 a.m. ET
A Michigan man has been fined $1,700 for illegal fishing activities on Lake Erie in the Canadian province of Ontario.
John Brooker of Belleville pleaded guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice to using five lines (instead of the maximum two) and fishing without a license last May near Amherstburg.
Brooker is banned from possessing an Ontario fishing license and fishing in the province for one year.
A Ministry of Natural Resources patrol officer observed Brooker fishing from a boat with multiple lines before initiating contact.
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“Upon inspection, Brooker was found to be in possession of 12 walleye and had no valid Ontario fishing license,” the agency stated this week in a news release.
The case was heard in the Ontario Court of Justice on Oct. 20, 2025. The penalties were made public Friday (Feb. 20).
The walleye and Brooker’s fishing gear were confiscated.
Amherstburg is across from Michigan on the Detroit River at the mouth of Lake Erie.