A judge of British Columbia condemned a man with the longest record of violations of the Fishing Law in Canadian history to six years in prison for “devastating the ocean and breaching the law.”
Scott Steer and his Coacusada Corporation faced eight positions, including fishing in a closed area without a license, selling more than $ 1 million in illegally harvested marine cucumbers and violating an earlier order in which he was forbidden to have fishing vessels.
The judge of the Supreme Court of BC, David Create, in Nanaimo, says in his ruling that Steer has a “remarkably long record” of fishing violations and other offenses that date back to more than a decade, and the short periods in jail “have not been able to” not have stopped or rehabilitate it. “
Decisions say that Steer’s crimes over the years include the illegal harvest of Vancouver Harbor crabs, defrauding a ship’s owner, conditions of violation of a case of couple violence and several probation rapes.
Create’s ruling says that Steer and his wife, Melissa Steer, continued their illegal fishing operations while their judgment was ongoing, and their persistent “knowing and making fun of the law” indicates the “improbability of remorse or rehabilitation, now or in the future.”
The ruling says that Steer believes himself “without law” and that the short periods in jail as punishments are “literally a joke”, and in addition to the term of the prison, he and his company have been fined with $ 1.1 million “specifically to condemn deliberate, destructive and dishonest shares of the steers.”
‘Threat’ for fishing
Since 2008, there have been 15 different fishing and ocean files in Canada in Steer. He has been sentenced several times for fishing illegally and has faced important fines and time in jail.
It has been described in a previous trial as “a threat to fishery health” and “[displaying] a shocking lack of human conscience and decency. “
In November 2021, a Judge of the Supreme Court of BC The forbidden direction of fishing for lifeThe first prohibition for life for a fisherman from the Pacific region in more than a decade.
The prohibition occurred after Steer was illegally caught fishing in crab in the port of Vancouver and took off in his boat, which led to a high -speed search, according to judicial documents.
His boat, a truck and a trailer were seized. The authorities found around 250 live crabs on board, which were later released back into the water.
