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Published Feb 28, 2026  • 1 minute read
A Wheatley man has been fined $4,500 for several commercial fishing violations, reports the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. PHOTO Supplied jpg, CD, apsmcArticle content
A Wheatley man has been fined $4,500 for commercial fishing violations, reports the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
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Robert Johnston has pleaded guilty to failing to retrieve gill nets from Lake Erie within eight days, failing to report lost nets to a conservation officer, allowing fish suitable for human consumption to spoil, failing to submit an accurate and complete daily catch report and failing to maintain an accurate and complete logbook, the MNR said in a media release.
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The Ontario Court of Justice heard that in March 2025, conservation officers received a complaint from the public regarding a possible abandoned gill net in Lake Erie, near the village of Wheatley, the MNR said.
Conservation officers located the abandoned gill net and determined through an investigation that Johnston, the captain of the commercial fishing vessel Dorothy J, had set gill nets on March 3, 2025, with some of these nets being lost and abandoned, the ministry added.
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Commercial fishing activities on Lake Erie are regulated by commercial fishing licences which are issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources with set conditions to ensure the sustainability of the Lake Erie fishery.
Justice of the Peace Maureen Ryan-Brode heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Windsor, on October 20, 2025.
To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. Anonymous tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. More information about unsolved cases is available online at www.ontario.ca/page/solve-natural-resource-case.
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