Richmond fish broker fined $77,500 for selling endangered abalone

A Richmond retailerhas been fined $77,500 for possessing abalone, an endangered shellfish whose numbers have been in sharp decline since the 1970s.

A provincial courtjudge finedN G Fung Enterprises earlier this month for violating federal species protection laws that forbid the sale and harvesting of the endangeredshellfish, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The company was also convicted of obstructing a fisheriesofficer.

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Northern abalone, which isfound off West Coast waters extending up to Alaska, issold at premium prices, from between$50 to $100 each.

DFO spokesperson, Tom Hlavac, said the vendor was a broker who sold to restaurants and also had a retail outlet. Inspectors visited the warehouse three times between 2013 and 2015.

They discovered abalone in a concealed room.

The inspectors took samples each timeand had themtested at a lab in Nanaimo, B.C.,which revealed that it was indeed Canadian northern abalone.

Fishery closed in 1990

The abalone fishery closed in Canada in 1990 after its numbers dropped dramatically, said Hlavac, acting director of conservation and protection for the DFO'sPacific region.

He said inspectors routinelyreceive tips about the illegal saleof abalone. In one case, a groupharvested 12,000 over a period of several days

"It was actually quite shocking," Hlavacsaid. "Many of those fish died, because we couldn't get them back in the water quick enough."

But fishing and poaching of the shellfish has continued, in part because there is a high demand. Dried abalone is also used for medicinal purposes.

"A bowl of abalone soup might sell for $12, and it will have a sliver of dried abalone in it," Hlavacsaid.

It is still legal to fish abalone off Mexico and parts of the U.S. West Coastand import it for sale in Canada.

The Species at Risk Act forbids thecaptureand sale of Canadian northernabalone, which has been declaredan endangered species.

Obstructed fishery officer

The Richmond retailer was also fined for obstructing a fisheries officer when hefailedto disclosehis entire fish inventory to inspectors, Hlavac said.

N G Fung Enterprisesis operated by Chi Fai Kwok, according to the DFO.

Kwok pleaded guilty to the charges.

Hlavac said it's hard for consumers to know for certain if the abalone they purchase in stores and restaurants is legally imported toCanada.

Consumers with information about illegal abaloneare urged to call aDFO tipline at 1-800-465-4336.

In 2003, northern abalone waslisted as threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act,which aims to prevent endangered and threatened wildlife from becoming extinctand to help in itsrecovery.

In 2011, the shellfish's status was upgraded to endangered.