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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - When John Murphy found a pile of cleaned fish and guts near Wool Bay, he was disgusted and upset.

"We thought it was a waste of meat - terrible," he said.

John Murphy found a pile of dead fish near Wool Bay in early April. - photo courtesy of John Murphy

Murphy and a friend were ice fishing April 4 when they came upon the pile of 15 to 20 fish spread out over the middle of the ice, about three kilometres from Wool Bay.

He said there were healthy fish in the pile - trout, whitefish, burbot and inconnu.

"I'd eat it," he said.

Murphy snapped some photos and reported what he saw to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It's against NWT fishing regulations for people to dump dead fish or remains in the water or on the ice. But rules for commercial fisheries are different, said Gerald Fillatre, conservation and protection supervisor for Fisheries and Oceans in Yellowknife.

He would not comment on the case at Wool Bay because it is under investigation, but he said some fishermen are allowed to cull their catch in some cases. The situation is frustrating to people like Greg Robertson, who owns Blue Fish Services, a fishing tour operator in Yellowknife.

"Any waste of fish is disappointing," he said.

"It can be completely legal, but it may not look right."

He said there are often conflicts between rules for commercial fishermen compared to anglers.

For example, there are sections of Great Slave Lake where commercial fishing occurs but sport fishermen are allowed to keep only two trout.

"It's a bit of an awkward situation," he said.

He encourages the practice of catch-and-release and keeping only what you can eat.

"Wastage is not acceptable."

Murphy worries ravens and other wildlife who feed on the dead animals could pose a problem for the local eco-system - not to mention the plastic bags left in the pile.

"It's not natural," he said.

If fishermen have extra catch, Murphy wonders why they wouldn't give it away to a shelter.

"I just don't think they care."