Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is looking for the person who left behind an ice fishing hut on Otter Lake.
On Monday, conservation officers were patrolling the lake near Smiths Falls when they found the hut sinking into the melting ice close to a small island, according to Anthony Beaucaire-Cameron from MNR.
He mentioned that officers used a drone to check for its registration number, but it had been removed.
“Based off the evidence that we have so far, [someone] attempted to remove this ice hut off the water, they were unsuccessful, scratched the numbers off and abandoned it,” said Beaucaire-Cameron.
He described the wooden hut as beige with a dark steel roof and noted that it sits on a red metal trailer. By Thursday, only the roof was visible above the lake’s surface.
Beaucaire-Cameron warned that the hut could be a safety hazard for boaters in spring if it breaks apart. If it sinks completely, it might pose an environmental risk to aquatic life, he added.
In Ontario’s Fisheries Management Zone 18, which stretches from near Madoc in the west up to Hawkesbury in the east, ice fishing huts are required to be removed by March 15. (Government of Ontario)
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A ‘fairly common’ problem
Ice huts need to be taken off lakes in most of eastern Ontario by March 15. However, Beaucaire-Cameron pointed out that loss and abandonment of huts is a “fairly common” issue – especially during early thawing periods. “If [conditions are] not favorable, then you should probably try to get your ice hut off sooner to avoid things like this happening,” he said. The owners of abandoned structures could face consequences under both the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and possibly the Public Land Act, according to Beaucaire-Cameron. Fines can reach as much as $25,000. “In addition, they could be responsible for removing that ice hut from the bottom of the lake,” he said. The ministry is asking anyone with information about this hut to come forward.Source link
