A Michigan man was fined $4,500 for violating commercial fishing rules on Lake Erie, including failing to retrieve nets and reporting false catch data.

A Wheatley man, Robert Johnston, was fined $4,500 in October 2025 after pleading guilty to multiple commercial fishing violations on Lake Erie, including failing to retrieve gill nets within eight days, not reporting lost nets, submitting inaccurate catch reports, maintaining incomplete logs, and allowing fish to spoil. The violations stemmed from a March 2025 public complaint about an abandoned net near Wheatley, leading to an investigation that confirmed Johnston, captain of the vessel Dorothy J, had set nets on March 3 without complying with licensing rules designed to protect fishery sustainability. The case was heard in Windsor by Justice of the Peace Maureen Ryan-Brode.