Bos Smoked Fish Inc. - conviction information for 2024-08-01
| Corporation name: | Bos Smoked Fish Inc. |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1175 Pattullo Ave |
| City: | Woodstock |
| Province/territory: | Ontario |
| Postal code: | N4S 7W3 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Sector or industry: | 311 - Food manufacturing |
| Location of offense: | 1175 Pattullo Ave, Woodstock, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Case summary: |
In April 2023, Bos Smoked Fish Inc. imported approximately 662 kilograms of eel products from the Netherlands into Canada. The shipment was declared as processed eel. Wildlife Enforcement Officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) conducted an inspection of the shipment and collected samples for DNA analysis. Laboratory testing confirmed that the majority of the products consisted of European Eel (Anguilla anguilla). The European Eel is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Species listed in Appendix II are subject to international trade controls to prevent overexploitation. Under Canadian law, the importation of such species requires a valid CITES permit. Bos Smoked Fish Inc. did not possess the required permit. As a result, the company was charged with one count of importing a CITES-listed species without a permit, contrary to subsection 6(2) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). |
| Charges: |
Count 1 BOS Smoked Fish Inc. (Ontario Corporation Number 1079437) between December 12, 2022 and May 24, 2023, both dates inclusive, in the city of Mississauga in the Province of Ontario, and elsewhere in Canada, and in the country of the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world, did unlawfully import animals or parts thereof, to wit, European eel "Anguilla anguilla", into Canada, contrary to section 6(2) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, S.C. 1992 c.52. |
| Enforcement notification: | Bos Smoked Fish Inc. ordered to pay a $25,000 fine for illegally importing protected European Eel meat |
| Result: | Guilty Plea |
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| Date of conviction: | 2024-08-01 |
| Court level: | Provincial and Territorial Court |
| Nature of offense(s): |
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| Additional details about the nature of the offense: | Importing or exporting animal or plant or part or derivative thereof without, or contrary to, permit – WAPPRIITA 6(2) |
| Act | Regulations | Section(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act | 6(2) |
| Date of sentencing: |
2024-08-02 |
|---|---|
| Location of sentencing: | Brampton, Ontario |
| Sentence(s): |
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| Amount of fine(s): | $25,000 |
| Sentencing details: |
On 2 August 2024, the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton imposed a $25,000 fine on Bos Smoked Fish Inc. This followed a guilty plea entered on 1 August 2024, in relation to a charge under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). The offence involved the unlawful importation of European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) parts. The court directed that the $25,000 fine be paid to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund, which finances projects aimed at restoring and protecting the environment. In addition to the fine, the court ordered the forfeiture of approximately 662 kilograms of eel products, ensuring that the illegally imported goods are permanently removed from the commercial market. |