On December 17, 2008, in provincial court at Corner Brook, Daryl Snook and Sharrel McLean of Trout River were convicted of possession of a v-notched female lobster and possession of a female lobster with its body shell length measuring greater than 127 mm.
Mr. Snook received a $2,000 fine and is prohibited from participating in the first five days of the 2009 lobster fishery. Ms. McLean was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay a $500 towing fee
The offences were detected in June 2008 by DFO fishery officers from the Rocky Harbour detachment during a surveillance operation in Trout River.
.V-notching is a voluntarily practice amongst commercial lobster harvesters where one in four egg-bearing female lobsters is given a V-shaped cut in a section of the tail fan. The lobster is then carefully returned to the water. A V-notch remains visible for several years, and allows the female to grow larger, spawn several times and produce more and better quality eggs. It is illegal to retain undersized and V-notched lobsters.
DFO is committed to the conservation and protection of lobster resources in Newfoundland and Labrador. Anyone wishing to report suspicious fishing activities may do so by contacting their nearest DFO office or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
