New Brunswick duck hunters fined

CARAQUET, N.B. -- January 18, 2012 -- Gilles David, age 41, and Lucien David, age 66, of the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick, were sentenced today in Provincial Court in Caraquet, New Brunswick, after being convicted of offences under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994.

Gilles David and Lucien David were each fined $1,500 for hunting migratory game birds with toxic lead shot. They are also prohibited for one year from hunting, or from being in the company of anyone hunting.

Waterfowl are poisoned when they ingest toxic lead pellets while feeding on the mud bottoms of rivers and ponds. Hunting waterfowl with lead shot has been banned in Canada since 1999. Lead is listed on the Canadian Environment Protection Act, 1999, List of Toxic Substances.

The two men were arrested on October 1, 2011, on the opening day of the migratory game bird hunting season in New Brunswick. The arrest took place during a joint boat patrol on the Pokemouche River by Environment Canada’s Enforcement Branch and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Environment Canada enforces federal wildlife legislation which protects plant and animal species throughout Canada. This is done in collaboration with other federal departments, provincial and territorial governments as well as international agencies and organizations.

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