The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is seeking the public’s help after a huge pile of crabs were illegally dumped off the side of Highway 16.
Fisheries officers in Smithers were notified about the discovery Tuesday and found over 250 Dungeness crabs over a bank near China Creek between Moricetown and Hazelton.
The Fisheries Act prohibits the waste of any fish suitable for human consumption
DFO believes the crabs may have originated in Prince Rupert and that the incident is linked with ongoing illegal fish sales on the North Coast.
Officials say illegal sales compromise the long-term management and sustainability of the resource, diminish the economic benefit from a legal fishery to coastal communities, and may affect health and safety.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact the 24 hour Observe Record Report line at 1-800-465-4336, fishery officer Brodie Cardinal at (250) 847-5937 or fishery officer Zachary Fournier at (250) 847-9684.
