A British Columbia boat owner has been fined $13,500 after failing to remove the partially sunken vessel from a bay along the coast of Vancouver Island.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the owner was given a deadline last March to remove the 12-metre fishing vessel from the waters near Gold River on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The department says the vessel was moored to a government salmon enhancement pen, which was not designed to hold such weight.
It says there was also a risk the boat could fully sink and pollute a nearby estuary.
The Coast Guard has since removed the vessel and issued the fine in June.
The statement from Fisheries and Oceans says fines are issued as a “last resort,” after all other avenues to address a problem vessel have been exhausted.
The department says owners are responsible for costs of addressing their vessels, including repairs, cleanup and remediation actions by the Coast Guard.
