Gold River: The Canadian Coast Guard recently issued a $13,500 fine, in the form of an administrative monetary penalty, to a vessel owner in British Columbia.
According to the Canadian Coast Guard, on June 12, it issued a fine to the owner of the Muriel D II, a 40-foot wooden fishing vessel in Matchlee Bay near Gold River, British Columbia, as the vessel was found to pose a hazard to the marine environment.
The Canadian Coast Guard said, “The vessel was partially sunk in Matchlee Bay. It was moored without authorization to a Fisheries and Oceans Canada salmon enhancement net pen, a structure that is not designed to hold the strain of a sinking vessel. The net pen was also scheduled to be moved and used as a hatchery by the Conuma Creek Salmon Hatchery. The vessel posed a risk of completely sinking and polluting the nearby estuary.”
The fine was issued as the vessel owner failed to comply with the Canadian Coast Guard’s directions to remove the vessel and take all reasonable measures to prevent pollution from entering the marine environment by March 18. Due to the hazard posed by the sunken vessel, the Canadian Coast Guard had the Muriel D II removed from the marine environment.