Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Sir Wilfrid Laurier has completed this year’s mission to detect and deter IUU fishing in the North-Pacific. Operation North Pacific Guard (Op.NPG), is an annual, multi-national effort to coordinate fisheries enforcement to protect global fish stocks. Fishery officers reported incidents of shark finning, the targeted harvest of dolphins, pollution incidents, and vessel marking violations.
Canada is now working with the appropriate flag states to support further investigations and sanctions on offending vessels.
Fishery officers conducted inspections under international law of 15 fishing vessels, finding illegally harvested shark fins, evidence of fishing during a closed season and unreported catch, and documented instances of marine pollution In addition, DFO found a number of vessels with their monitoring systems switched off – referred to as dark ‘vessels’.
The boardings also presented Canadian officers with their first opportunity to enforce the newly adopted ban on Pacific salmon retention, which has been in force for North Pacific fishing fleets since this July.
Canada also conducted daily aerial surveillance this summer from Hokkaido in Japan. In collaboration with fishery officers from Japan and South Korea, DFO fishery officers and air crew flew a total of 50,419 nautical miles over the course of 34 patrols, and visually inspected 407 vessels.
‘Canada’s ongoing presence in the North Pacific is an example of the multi-national cooperation required to monitor and protect fish stocks and marine ecosystems,’ said Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Diane Lebouthillier.
‘My sincere thanks go out to the expert crew of fishery officers, Canadian Coast Guard personnel and our partners in the United States Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for their efforts in the air and at sea this year under Operation North Pacific Guard.
Image: CambridgeBayWeather/Wikipedia Commons
