A Nova Scotia man was hit with more than $76,000 dollars in fines for illegal groundfishing.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says he was supposed to be looking for certain species of fish near the Magdalene Islands in September 2022.

Instead, he harvested nearly 4400 pounds of halibut near the Anticosti Island.

The area near Quebec was closed to ground fishing at the time and, when an At-Sea Observer vessel asked for his whereabouts, he gave the wrong location.

His charges include illegal fishing, with an extra $36,000 for his illegal profits.

He also is prohibited from groundfishing in the same area and must use a vessel monitoring system on his boat for one year.