DFO Fines Five After Illegal Shellfish Harvesting in Campbell River

Overview

• A routine low-tide patrol on June 25, 2025 found a group harvesting in a Campbell River area closed under the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program, and officers seized 136 Pacific oysters, eight mussels and two Manila clams.
• The case resulted in convictions in Campbell River Provincial Court on July 14, 2026 with fines totalling $19,000; individual penalties ranged from $3,000 to $5,000 and one defendant was convicted of providing a false statement to a fishery officer.
• In a September 21, 2026 release, Fisheries and Oceans Canada urged harvesters to check its daily SHELLI map before every harvest and to report suspected violations through the department’s toll-free line or email.
• DFO warned that misleading or obstructing fishery officers is a serious offence that can raise criminal and regulatory penalties and that harvesting from closed areas puts the public at risk and harms harvesters who follow the rules.
• Under the CSSP, DFO manages openings and closures using water-quality and biotoxin advice from ECCC and CFIA because common marine toxins such as PSP, ASP and DSP can persist through cooking and threaten consumer safety and fishery sustainability.