Greg Ovens, a man from Canal Flats, British Columbia, was fined $6,000 on Wednesday for illegally catching eight cutthroat trout in Banff National Park.
Ovens’ accomplice was Zachary Fowler, an American he met during Alone, a survival competition series on the History Channel.
The two were competitors on season 3 of Alone, which was shot in Patagonia. Ovens survived 51 days, but Fowler emerged victorious after lasting 87 days.
In July 2019, the pair decided to film their own version of the show, “30-Day Survival Challenge in the Canadian Rockies,” for YouTube. The challenge was filmed in, you guessed it, Banff National Park.
Throughout their challenge, the pair caught eight cutthroat trout from Leman Lake. Keep in mind cutthroat trout are protected under the Canada National Parks Act and Canada’s Species at Risk.
In fact, Banff National Park is home to some of the few remaining genetically pure populations of cutthroat trout in Alberta, specifically Westslope cutthroat trout.
In the past, Westslope cutthroat trout were plentiful in southern Alberta, including the Old Man and Bow River watersheds.
However, due to overfishing, habitat loss, and hybridization, populations of pure Westslope cutthroat have dropped so much that they were listed as threatened in 2013.
That’s why it is illegal to possess cutthroat trout. Violators can be charged up to $25,000 and must appear in court.
Sound like anyone we know?
Ovens initially faced six charges, but five were dropped after he pleaded guilty to illegal fishing. In addition to illegal fishing, Ovens and Fowler used natural bait, which is prohibited.
“This type of bait is prohibited as it risks the introduction to lakes of invasive species, including the microscopic parasite that causes whirling disease,” said Justice Eric Tolppanen of the Alberta Court of Justice.
Whirling disease is named after the ‘whirling’ swimming behaviour observed in infected fish. Fish with the whirling disease may also have physical deformities such as a crooked tail, discoloration, and a sloped head.
While whirling disease is not harmful to humans or mammals, rainbow trout, whitefish, and cutthroat trout are especially at risk. In other words, using natural bait in Banff Natural Park is a really shitty move.
While fishing in Banff National Park is not illegal, Banff, Kootenay, and Yoho National Park enacted a catch-and-release system in 2017. Ovens and Fowler both obtained fishing licenses, but were unaware of the catch and release system.
The Crown took Ovens’ offence seriously and proposed slapping the survivalist with an $8,000 fine for each cutthroat trout he caught. However, Justice Tolpannen was merciful and gave Ovens a $6,000 fine instead.
Ovens must also post details of his plea and sentence on his YouTube channel and send a letter to YouTube’s parent company.
Since the charges were laid, Ovens has tried to remove his video from YouTube, which Tolpannen says “demonstrates acceptance of his responsibility.”
Ovens has six months to pay his fine. Tolpannen also wants notice of his posting to YouTube and a note to Google sent to the Crown for approval within two weeks.
Ovens is taking responsibility, but Fowler is a different story. He is wanted in Alberta for several warrants.
We didn’t realize evading arrest was part of the survival challenge!
