Fishery officer Mark Simms shows a sled-load of fish recovered from Tsiigehtchic earlier this month. Simms says the fish will be given to a dog team owner who has expressed interest in using the fish for feed. - Lynn Lau/NNSL photo

The nets had been left so long it took two officers more than two hours using hand chisels and a power auger to haul two of the nets out. A concerned resident had earlier in the week removed the other two nets.

Judging from the amount of ice that had formed over the nets and post holes, fishery officer Mark Simms estimates the nets hadn't been checked in at least two weeks.

"Right now, we're stuck with four nets and no owner to take responsibility for those nets," Simms says.

Whoever set the nets could face hefty fines in court for leaving nets unattended for longer than 72 hours and for wasting fish, but because the nets weren't tagged, officers are having difficulty locating the owner.

Simms says the incident highlights a larger problem with net identification.

According to federal fishery laws, all fishers -- including subsistence fishers --must put name tags on their nets.

"In the past, it hasn't been strictly enforced in this region," Simms says. "Local fishers have been reluctant to identify their nets for whatever reason."

In Inuvik, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has attempted to increase net identification by offering free tags since 1999. The Inuvialuit Hunters and Trappers Committees and the Gwich'in Renewable Resource Councils distribute the tags, and keep track of the assigned numbers so fishers can maintain their privacy while identifying their nets.

Sam Stephenson, the fisheries management biologist who came up with the numbered tagging system, says he doesn't understand why more people aren't participating.

"It's a requirement under the Fisheries Act. In case there's ever any problems, (DFO) knows who to contact," Stephenson says. "It's the same as having a license plate on your car. You have to have it. It's the law."

Meanwhile, DFO is continuing to investigate the abandoned nets in Tsiigehtchic. Anyone with information is encouraged to phone the Report-A-Poacher tips line at 1-866-762-2437.