Three fishermen have been charged in Yarmouth Provincial Court
The charges against 33 year old Mark Allan MacKenzie of Lower Argyle, 25 year old Jay Alexander Jenkins of Rockville and 19 year old Brendon Douglas James Porter of East Pubnico relate to a Facebook video that went viral today.
The video allegedly shows mistreatment of a baby seal on a fishing vessel off the coast of Yarmouth.
The video was originally posted by one of the men on board.
A man is seen poking at the seal with a buoy, and later a man can be heard saying ‘let’s kill it.’
Doug Wentzell with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans says after an investigation, they felt charges were warranted.
“So we have laid charges in accordance of section 7 and section 8 of the Marine Mammal Regulations, and under section 33 of the Fishery General Regulations, which all involve the potential mistreatment of a marine mammal, in this case.”
Jenkins and Porter also each face a charge of fishing for a species without a registration card.
A plea date is scheduled for April 3rd in Yarmouth Provincial Court.
DISCLAIMER: The following is the Facebook video mentioned in this story. It was taken down by the original author, but was re-posted by a concerned citizen.
WARNING: This video contains coarse language.
