A Beauval man was fined a hefty $14,500 in provincial court after pleading guilty to offences such as illegally marketing fish, wasting fish, trafficking in bear gall bladders and illegal outfitting.

Roger McCallum Jr, age 36, pleaded guilting on Nov. 17 in Beauval Provincial Court. He was charged after conservation officers received a tip and began an investigation in 2018.

After getting the information that illegal fishing and trafficking was happening in the area, officers confirmed that McCallum was involved in trafficking large quantities of fish.

Undercover officers saw him throw large amounts of edible fish in the landfill as waste. They also discovered that he was trafficking in bear gall bladders.

On one occasion, he sold a bear gall bladder to an undercover officer then attempted to recruit the officer to sell gall bladders for him.

McCallum also illegally offered guided fishing trips.

Undecover officers hired McCallum to guide them on Lac La Plonge in Sept. 2019. The lake has a limit of three trout per person to protect the fish population but McCallum set two gill nets that caught a large amount of lake trout.

He then gave the officers 29 fish, which was included in their guiding fee.

On November 17, 2021, McCallum Jr pleaded guilty to several charges under The Fisheries Act, The Wildlife Act and The Outfitter and Guide Regulations:

• illegal marketing of fish (fined $7,600);
• wasting fish (fined $1,400);
• commercial fishing without a licence (fined $250);
• trafficking in bear galls (fined $2,800);
• illegal outfitting (fined $1,400); and
• illegal provision of sustenance fish (fined $1,050).   

McCallum has three years to pay the fines. He is prohibited from applying for licences under The Fisheries Act for three years and was given a five-year prohibition for licences under The Wildlife Act. Additionally, McCallum’s existing licences have been cancelled.  

Overfishing and poaching can decimate entire lake populations, affecting commercial fishing, recreational angling and those who depend on the fish to feed themselves and their families. 

People who suspect they are being sold fish illegally or otherwise suspect these types of violations should call the Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn In Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line at 1-800-667-7561, or call #5555 from a SaskTel cellular device. You can also report online at saskatchewan.ca/tipp.