With a rap sheet longer than a deep-sea trawler’s haul, one Canadian man is setting records, but not the kind that anyone ought to be proud of. Scott Steer of Gabriola Island, British Columbia has earned himself the dubious distinction of holding the longest record of Fisheries Act violations in Canadian history. His illegal activities, spanning over a decade, involved persistent disregard for Canada’s fisheries regulations, culminating in a significant legal reckoning that took place last month. Steer’s violations primarily centered around the illegal harvesting and selling of marine resources, with a particular focus on sea cucumbers, crabs, halibut, and lingcod.
Like many who believe themselves to be above the law, Steer’s history of non-compliance dates back to nearly two decades to when he received formal administrative warnings and ticket violations for breaches of the Fisheries Act. His first recorded convictions came in 2008, when he was fined $400 for fishing shellfish during a closed season and $3,500 for offering to sell halibut and lingcod not caught under a sales license.
By 2013, his infractions had naturally escalated, resulting in his first six-month jail sentence for exceeding vessel quotas. Despite these penalties, Steer’s behavior remained unchanged, and he continued to flout regulations, accumulating a total of 34 convictions from 13 cases by the time of his most recent sentencing in July.
Following his absolute tear in 2013, Steer pushed on and by 2019, he was running a full-on sea cucumber crime syndicate. Hiding behind a numbered company owned by his wife, Melissa, he orchestrated a poaching operation that would make Tony Soprano jealous. Steer and his crew, including some duped employees and subcontractors, illegally harvested over 97,000 pounds of sea cucumbers, selling over 87,000 pounds worth to Vancouver’s Wen Lian Aquaculture for about $1 million CAD.
The great sea cucumber heist
Heading to trial in late 2024, Steer demonstrated his absolute contempt for the law as he was found to still be actively poaching during his trial in which the judge drew attention to "lol" text messages that encapsulated "knowing and mocking flouting of the law and court orders." Sea cucumbers, for the uninitiated, are a tightly regulated catch in B.C., with only 85 license holders allowed to hand-pick them for eight weeks a year. Steer’s unlicensed haul didn’t just screw over legit fishers; it threw quota calculations into chaos and literally threatened the species’ survival.
His actions also included fishing in closed areas and breaching a 2021 lifetime fishing ban - the first such ban issued in the Canadian Pacific region in over a decade.
Following his brazen trial, Steer was finally back in court on July 25th, where B.C. Supreme Court Justice David Crerar sentenced Steer to six years in prison and imposed fines totaling over $1.1 million CAD on him and his shell corporation. The sentence addressed eight charges, including fishing without a license, fishing in closed areas, and breaching prior court orders prohibiting him from possessing fishing vessels.
Justice Crerar emphasized the severity of Steer’s actions, noting his "remarkably long record of violations" and the failure of previous warnings, fines, and short jail terms to deter or rehabilitate him. The judge highlighted Steer’s contempt for legal authority, stating, “The only way to stop Mr. Steer from ravaging the ocean and flouting the law and court orders is to move him far from the sea for a long period of time.”
The $1.1 million fine was designed to exceed the profits from Steer’s illegal activities, ensuring that it served as a deterrent rather than a mere cost of doing business. Steer’s defense, which included pleas for leniency based on the needs of his five children, was dismissed, as prior judges had warned him about the consequences of his actions on his family.
"His deliberate deception and illegal fishing shows contempt for the fragile and finite marine resources and ecosystems," the judge's decision noted. "He shows contempt for the fishermen who follow the rules. He shows contempt for the laws of parliament and the orders of the court. He shows contempt for the efforts of past courts to steer him towards an honest path through less severe sanctions that rely on his honesty and compliance."
