Men from Drayton and St. Clements have been fined in connection with what Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry calls “one of the most significant investigations of its kind in recent memory in southern Ontario.”

The fines were levied in connection with a July 29 incident in which they encountered conservation officers in the parking lot of the Leamington Municipal Marina.

According to the ministry, the men told the officers that they were on their way home after fishing in Lake Erie.

Inspectors searched their boat and vehicles, and found that they had 50 walleye in their possession – far more than their legal limit of six apiece.

All of the fish were seized, as were the men’s fishing rods, tackle boxes and coolers. Both men pleaded guilty to possessing more than the allowable number of walleye. They were fined $5,000 apiece.