A commercial prawn fisherman has been fined $30,000 for illegal prawn fishing activities less than three years after he was fined $250,000 for similar offences. Dean Keitsch pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to comply with the terms and conditions of a commercial prawn fishing licence, according to a news release issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada earlier this week. Keitsch was also ordered to forfeit fishing gear that fishery officers had seized during their investigation. According to the federal agency, Keitsch entered his pleas on July 31 in Nanaimo provincial court. The offences themselves took place between May 12 and June 6, 2023. The DFO said its officers received a report of fishing gear, including a buoy, rope and weight, but no traps, near Nanaimo. “This was found to be a ‘dummy float’ intended to hold a position on fishing grounds prior to, or during a legal commercial fishery opening,” the DFO said in its release. Investigators connected the dummy float to Keitsch’s vessel, the Dark Star. “A subsequent inspection of the (Vessel Monitoring Service) data from the Dark Star determined that Mr. Keitsch activated the mandatory system on May 15, 2023, the opening day of the prawn season, rather than the required 72 hours before the vessel’s departure from port,” the DFO said. “VMS data also showed a period between May 29 and May 31, 2023, when the vessel was not transmitting the required data, although fishing activity was recorded in logbooks.” The DFO release describes the latest court case as Keitsch’s “second significant conviction for illegal fishing activities.” In 2024, he was fined $250,000 after pleading guilty to seven violations of the federal Fisheries Act and being convicted of six more following a “long-running court case.” Those offences involved prawn fishing in a protected glass sponge reef off Sechelt, as well as various violations of his licence conditions. “Compliance with commercial fishing licence conditions is essential to ensuring a fair, accountable and sustainable fishery,” the DFO said in its release this week. “Requirements such as accurate reporting, proper use of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), and adherence to licence conditions help Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) manage fisheries, support conservation objectives, and maintain a level playing field for all harvesters.” The agency asked anyone with information about suspected Fisheries Act violations to call the DFO Pacific Region’s toll-free reporting line at 1-800-465-4336, or email DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
