B.C. fisherman charged after throwing 'bear banger' at sea lions
Credit to Author: Scott Brown| Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2020 20:33:08 +0000
A B.C. fisherman is facing three charges for tossing a small explosive at sea lions off Hornby Island last March.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada opened an investigation last year after a video showing Allen Marsden throwing a “bear banger” off a commercial fishing vessel and into a group of sea lions started circulating on social media.
The DFO confirmed this week that Marsden has now been charged with two counts under the Federal Fisheries Act and another under the Explosives Act.
The commercial fisherman told The Canadian Press last year that he was only trying to scare the sea lions and not harm them.
“This was not a case of going out there and trying to kill all the sea lions,” Marsden said.
He also said there’s a double standard if someone fishing on a river can use a banger to scare a bear, but he can’t do the same at sea.
“I was trying to figure out a way we could work out there with those lions. So I was trying to figure out how long I had from the time I set the net, because I know when the sea lions show up the chance of me getting fish is zero, it’s absolutely zero,” Marsden said
Marsden claimed he had been attacked by a sea lion three years earlier while working on his boat.
“I’m lucky that I didn’t get dragged over the rail and drowned or end up in a wheelchair, but I’ll have marks on my body until the day I die from a sea lion that latched on to me when I was working on deck,” he said.
A summary conviction under the Fisheries Act can result in a $100,000 fine or one year in prison, while a conviction under the Explosive Act can result in a maximum fine of $50,000.
Marsden is scheduled to appear in a Courtenay courtroom March 26.