A fishing lodge operator on Haida Gwaii is set to pay the price for not doing his due diligence.
Chad James Whiteside, the owner of Sandspit Adventures, will be paying a total of 75 thousand dollars in fines by the end of 2023.
Sandspit adventures is a fishing and eco-tour provider which Whiteside purchased in 2020, but has managed since 2017.
In 2019, it was found that fish caught by the lodge’s patrons were being prepared in the lodge’s kitchen and fed to guests, sometimes at staff’s behest.
For this, the lodge was fined for bartering fish which were caught under the purview of a recreational license, as opposed to a commercial license.
Officers determined that patrons were allowed to consume recreationally caught fish, and failed to properly label and store that which was caught.
But, the Judge determined that the infractions were made out of ignorance, and not intent, and issued the 75 thousand dollar fine, to be paid in three installments.
