Ignorance is no excuse for not complying with the law. Every fisherman, trapper or hunter has a personal obligation to read, understand and comply with the law and take personal responsibility - as these laws are designed to protect the resource.
So in that regard, they were either ignorant to the law, or decided to break the law and they got what they deserved.
It's also not your job to mitigate or police people who break the law.
On the other hand, yeah, I get it, you felt bad and feel like maybe you could have intervened or changed that - but, at the end of the day, you did the right thing. Don't beat yourself up about it.
I know it's Wabamun where a few walleye taken out of there won't hurt anything, but that's irrelevant, maybe the next time this family goes out somewhere different and does the same thing the lake (and the impact) could be far different - as I'm sure the location plays a little bit into your feelings.
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