A Canadian Coast Guard ship out of Victoria and its crew are among those credited with continuing the nation’s global commitment to protect fish stocks, marine ecosystems and sustainable fisheries through two months of joint surveillance, inspections and enforcement efforts in the North Pacific.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a serious problem around the world, posing a significant threat to fish populations and damaging marine environments. It also jeopardizes the incomes of law-abiding harvesters and fishing industries while putting food supplies at risk, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The DFO’s third patrol under the annual, multi-national high seas operation included representatives from four nations onboard a single patrol vessel. The Canadian patrol included representatives from Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States.
“The thousands of hours that our fishery officers spend patrolling the North Pacific Ocean each year, by air and sea, detecting and deterring illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, is a strong demonstration that Canada backs its support for international laws with concrete action. The ongoing success of Operation North Pacific Guard attests to the continued need for Canada to be a leader in securing marine species and ecosystems at home and abroad in support of both our conservation and economic objectives,” Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson said in a news release.
Fishery officers and support personnel patrolled 17,773 km while onboard the Canadian Coast Guard vessel CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a high-endurance, multi-purpose vessel that is also a light icebreaker and is biofuel capable. Over the course of two months, the crew aboard the Victoria-based ship monitored several hundred fishing vessels, conducted 41 high-seas inspections and interacted with more than 1,000 crew members onboard vessels.
Canada also deployed one of the DFO’s long-range Fisheries Aerial Surveillance and Enforcement aircraft, which is normally based in Campbell River, to Hokkaido, Japan, where daily patrols monitored fishing activity in the Northwest Pacific. Over the operation, 366 fishing vessels were inspected by air, discovering 51 potential violations related to shark finning, pollution, salmon retention, and marking requirements.
High-seas inspections uncovered 39 potential violations of international fisheries requirements, including shark finning, the illegal harvest of dolphins, misreporting or inaccurate reporting of catch and bycatch, as well as obstruction and the destruction of evidence.
North Pacific Guard Operation, which included Canadian Coast Guard and RCMP members, is among those working to protect both international waters and the resources they hold with an annual, multi-national high seas operation in the North Pacific.
During this year’s mission, CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier made a special port visit in Osaka, Japan, while the World Expo was underway. Thousands of members of the public learned about Canada’s role in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing through tours of the vessel and engagement with Canadian Coast Guard crew and fishery officers at the Expo’s Canada Pavilion. Laurier also stopped in Hakodate, Japan, further strengthening relations.
Find behind-the-scenes action online at https://ow.ly/TrMo50WGagL.
