Canadian Yacht Club Convicted of Killing Protected Birds

A Baie-Comeau, Quebec yacht club has been convicted of killing or injuring a dozen ring-billed gulls, a migratory bird species protected under international law.

The Club Nautique de Baie-Comeau Inc., located on the St. Lawrence River about an eight-hour drive northeast of Montreal, pleaded guilty to charges of interfering with migratory birds and was fined $2,500.

A police investigation determined that the yacht club installed a network of monofilament fishing lines over the marina’s breakwater to deter birds from landing on it. However, a number of birds subsequently became snared in the lines and died, including several of the protected gulls. Wildlife enforcement officers initially warned the club to remove the filaments, then laid charges under subsection 24(3) of the Migratory Birds Convention Act when it failed to do so.