An angler who was found in possession of 26 rainbow trout last Remembrance Day was recently found guilty and sentenced to multiple Fisheries Act charges.

The incident occurred near Ashcroft on the Thompson River, after a Merritt B.C. Conservation Service patrol discovered two men hiding in a culvert under a railroad track with two backpacks in their possession.

In the backpacks officers discovered fishing gear and 26 wild rainbow trout.

At the time the limit for trout was zero, and the patrol was underway as part of enhanced angling enforcement sponsored by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.

One of the anglers admitted to fishing on the Thompson River that day and catching and retaining all 26 rainbow trout. The Thompson River was closed at the time due to steelhead conservation concerns.

The angler was sentenced in a Kamloops court to pay $2,800 to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund specifically for the conservation or enhancement of fish or fish habitat in the Thompson River.