A Leamington man is facing thousands of dollars in fines in connection with a commercial fishing violation on Lake Erie.
Officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry say Adelino Pombinha, who captains the commercial fishing vessel "Ethan P," pleaded guilty to allowing about 880 kg of fish to spoil back in March.
According to officials with the ministry, Pombinha set a number of gill nets in the Essex County waters of Lake Erie on March 6 and returned to the area on March 9 to pick them up, but he left approximately 795 m of the nets in the water.
The net reportedly sat there for 65 days until the ministry's Lake Erie Management Unit picked it up on May 9.
At that point, the net had approximately 880 kg of several species of fish still caught in it -- all in various stages of decomposition.
Following the ministry's investigation, a judge in Windsor heard the case earlier this month.
As a result of that hearing, Adelino Pombinha was fined $5,000 and a Wheatley commercial fishing company was fined $2,500.