Three people, all from Windsor, have been fined $600 in connection with a case of illegal fishing last spring.
A conservation officer with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) acted on a complaint about people catching fish with a dip net on the shoreline of the Detroit River in Windsor, on April 14, 2025.
"Through an investigation, the conservation officer located three individuals in possession of 6,198 emerald shiners, 58 yellow perch, and six brook silversides that were caught with a dip net," read a media release from the MNR.
According to Ontario regulations, someone with a fishing licence may catch 120 emerald shiners, which are considered baitfish, with a dip net. Yellow perch and brook silverside are not considered baitfish and may not be caught that way.
The illegally-caught fish, dip net, and other equipment were seized.
The case was heard by Justice of the Peace David J. Auger in a Windsor court on December 1, 2025, though the ruling was made public on Friday.
One man pleaded guilty to catching an overlimit of baitfish and catching yellow perch and brook silverside with a dip net. He was fined $300 and is not permitted to hold a fishing licence in Ontario for six years.
The other two men each pleaded guilty to illegally possessing the fish. Each was fined $150 and is also barred from fishing in Ontario for six years.
