The Skeena
The provincial government has just announced an increase in fines for illegal hunting and fishing in an effort to protect BC wildlife and fish. Effective June 18, 2024, new fines for violations will range from $345 to $1495, a jump from the current range of $115 to $575. This marks the first time fine penalties under the Wildlife Act have been updated in more than two decades.
The largest fines apply to people who hunt big game out of hunting season or are found unlawfully possessing big game or threatened or endangered species. Smaller offences include unlawful trapping, hunting or angling without a license, illegal trafficking of wildlife, or damaging habitat.
In a statement, the Ministry for Water, Land and Resource Stewardship wrote the increased fines “better reflect the serious nature of these offences and recognize the importance of wildlife to everyone living in British Columbia.” They further added that the new fine structure was supported by stakeholders, including hunters, anglers, conservationists, First Nations partners, and others.
In 2023 alone, more than 1000 tickets were issued for various Wildlife Act offences, resulting in more than $200,000 in fines. The new fines were decided on after the BC government reviewed comparable fine amounts in other jurisdictions in Canada and across the western United States.
Jesse Zeman, executive director of the BC Wildlife Federation, posted a video to Facebook responding to the increase in fines. He said the updated penalties are “something the Wildlife Federation has advocated intensively for a long time.”
“We believe that if someone is out there poaching, the fines they receive should go right back into the resource.”
Jesse Zeman, executive director of the BC Wildlife Federation
“It’s great to see those fines increased,” he said. “Part of what we’ve also asked for is that all those fines are dedicated and go back into fish and wildlife management. We believe that if someone is out there poaching, the fines they receive should go right back into the resource.”
In a press release accompanying the video, the BC Wildlife Federation notes that funding for renewable resource management in BC has declined by 75 percent between 1993 and today.
“It’s time to take wildlife management seriously and stop siphoning money away from species that are, in some cases, fighting for their survival.”
Jesse Zeman, executive director of the BC Wildlife Federation
“Despite having one of the most biodiverse regions in North America, we spend less per person, less per animal, and less per square kilometre than our neighbours,” it read. Funding for fish and wildlife management is a mere $7 per capita in BC, compared to $9 per capita in Alberta, $29 in Washington, $91 in Montana and $235 in Alaska.
“It’s time to take wildlife management seriously and stop siphoning money away from species that are, in some cases, fighting for their survival,” said Zeman.
