Angler fined $6,000 and banned for a year after fishing without licence

Lower Mainland resident Kenneth Ryder has been fined $6,000 and prohibited from fishing for one year after illegally fishing in the Alouette River in Maple Ridge.

A conservation officer checked Ryder while he was fishing in February 2025 and recognized him from a 2023 ticket for angling without a licence or permit required by regulation, the BC Conservation Officer Service said. The 2023 ticket had not been paid, and Ryder's angling licence was cancelled.

Ryder pleaded guilty in court to six Wildlife Act charges: knowingly making a false statement to obtain a licence; obtaining a licence while a fine was outstanding in 2023-24 and again in 2024-25; angling without a required licence or permit; angling while his licence was cancelled; and failing to produce prescribed photo identification to an officer.

According to the provincial conservation service's Facebook page, $5,500 of the fine is directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.