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His three-year-old granddaughter was arriving for a weekend visit and Madison was set on putting her miniature fishing rod to good use.

Doug Barkhouse and his wife had their work cut out for them. They had just moved to Valley, just outside Truro, and neither had a clue where to take little Madison fishing. That is, until a neighbour suggested MacElmons Pond in nearby Debert.

So that’s where the trio ended up last Saturday morning for a picnic and a little fishing adventure.The gaspereau were plentiful, the 65-year-old recalls. Madison was having a ball with her two-foot fishing rod.

“Here I was handing her the rod to reel in, herself, and she was having a ball. Next thing you know the fisheries officer is standing right there. He said come with me, we have to talk. But he wouldn’t let me talk." - Doug Barkhouse

That is until four fisheries compliance officers arrived. One of them handed Barkhouse a $697.50 fine “for fishing by jigging in inland waters,” violating section 9 (a) of the Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations.

The officer caught Barkhouse red-handed. He had just cast the rod and was in the act of passing it back to Madison, who was standing between his legs.

“He comes right up to me and accused me of being stupid and I told him I was just looking for a safe spot to take my granddaughter,” said Barkhouse. “When I tried to explain myself, he threatened to arrest me.”

Meanwhile the officers went for another group of mostly kids fishing nearby, said Barkhouse.

Barkhouse argues that the little fishing tool barely works as a rod. Its hook had been mostly cut off by the girl’s father who was concerned she might hurt herself.

“Here I was handing her the rod to reel in, herself, and she was having a ball. Next thing you know the fisheries officer is standing right there. He said come with me, we have to talk. But he wouldn’t let me talk.

“He said, ‘You’re getting a ticket today.’ It was so over the top. He said he was going to arrest me.”

Barkhouse said the officer could have used the incident as an opportunity to educate the trio. Instead, he said he was humiliated and handed an excessive fine.

“I just thought I’ll take the ticket and I didn’t want him to arrest me in front of my granddaughter.”

Barkhouse says he did not see any “no fishing” signs and wants to raise awareness of the situation before others face the same penalty. He plans to fight the ticket in court.

Debbie Buott-Matheson, a spokeswoman with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, confirmed that the ticket had been issued by a federal fisheries officer. Because the matter is considered an open case, she said she could provide few details other than saying “the ticket was issued as opposed to just a warning based on the activity that was observed.

“Fisheries officers have a number of tools that are available to them and in this particular instance a ticket was the option or the tool best placed in this case. There’s not a lot else I can tell you about it.”

She said if Barkhouse has further concerns about the interaction he should contact his local fishery detachment or the Fisheries and Oceans’ Conservation and Protection regional headquarters in Dartmouth.

But Barkhouse says he won’t bother.

“I figure nothing will come of it. But I can say this was the most horrifying experience I’ve gone through in my life.”