Three men have been fined $44,000 for their role in trafficking parts from poached eagles, hawks and owls.

The trio of males, convicted May 15 in Pincher Creek provincial court, were collared through an undercover investigation, dubbed Operation Chinook, which had unearthed parts of at least 37 bald eagles, 24 golden eagles and 22 other birds of prey when it wrapped up in January 2005.

Included in the findings were parts from a ferruginous hawk, which is classified in Alberta as a species at risk.

Dave Ealey, a spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said today the convictions are a good start in clamping down on the illegal bird poaching trade, which operates under a heavy veil of secrecy.

“From what we know, a lot of these trafficking groups operate in extreme secrecy and they deal with their own,” Ealey said.

“That’s why when we get tips from the public we have to go through these undercover operations.”

Fish and wildlife officers acted on five search warrants in Pincher Creek, Wetaskiwin and Cardston, finding hundreds of parts from poached birds of prey through two separate undercover operations.

Most of the parts, including feathers and talons, are sold to make Native ceremonial objects or costumes.

Four more alleged poachers are due to appear in courts in Pincher Creek and Wetaskiwin in October, Ealey said.

Members of the poaching ring are facing a total of 41 counts under the Wildlife Act.

All the convicted live at the Livingstone Hutterite Colony, southwest of Calgary.

Martin Benjamin Walter, 38, Steven Darrell Walter, 24, and Edward John Walter, 24, were fined a combined $44,000 based on the sale of parts from three bald eagles, one golden eagle, one great horned owl and one rough-legged hawk.