The Government of Canada is committed to protecting Canadian and foreign species of wild animals and plants that are threatened, or that may be at risk of over-exploitation due to unsustainable or illegal trade.
On October 3, 2023, Nationalwide Star Canada Corp. and Zhou Hong Xia, both of Markham, Ontario, were fined $175,000 and $75,000 respectively by the Ontario Court of Justice, in Toronto. The company and the individual pleaded guilty to one charge each for violating the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). These violations relate to the illegal importation of European Eel meat. The $250,000 in total fines will be directed to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund.
In addition to the fines, approximately 90,000 kg of eel meat was forfeited, having an estimated retail value of more than $4.3 million. This ensures the illegally imported product is removed from the commercial market.
Between November 2016 and January 2018, shipping containers declared as American Eel fillets were imported into Canada. However, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers discovered, through sampling and DNA analysis, European Eel meat mixed with the legally imported American Eel meat in all five containers. European Eel is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and must be accompanied by a permit to be lawfully imported into Canada. Zhou Hong Xia was charged with one count of importing five shipping containers containing CITES-listed species without a permit. The company was also charged with one count of importing one of the five shipping containers containing CITES-listed species without a permit, a contravention of subsection 6(2) of WAPPRIITA.
Collaborating with other law enforcement agencies is critical to our work. Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers worked with other federal departments, provincial governments, international agencies, and non-governmental organizations during the course of the investigation.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has created a free subscription service to help Canadians stay current with what the Government of Canada is doing to protect our natural environment.
Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) to anonymously report wildlife crime. You may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000 from Crime Stoppers.
