Tag Archives: Fisheries Enforcement

Norbert Cunningham: Coast Guard can stop poaching

Lobster is a lucrative fishery in Maine and New Brunswick, and it’s past time for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to step in an act decisively against American poachers. They can begin with sending in Coast Guard ships to drive intruders out while also initiating another attempt at a better resolution with U.S. authorities. The tensions aren’t new, nor is this the first such flare-up in our waters, but it may be one of the worst and have the most potential for lethal violence. Canadian fishers are seeing evidence and hearing the latest incursions are the work of organized crime, not just fishers straying a bit over unmarked and disputed lines on water. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:08

Fisheries enforcement ongoing in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

Recently, there has been much speculation and public discussion about the state of enforcement in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Maritimes Region, encompassing Southwest Nova Scotia, Eastern Nova Scotia and Southwest New Brunswick, in light of an ongoing job action. For absolute clarity, fisheries enforcement activity in the Maritimes Region is active – to suggest otherwise is false. Fishery officers throughout the region continue to patrol by sea, land and air. They continue to conduct investigations and to work with other policing agencies, the provinces and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to enforce the law. They are highly trained professionals and their dedication to their work is evident now, as it is every day. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:46

Cameras could play a role in fisheries enforcement – C&P chief. That’s really the issue. Enforcement

Cameras onboard commercial fishing vessels as condition of licence could act as a deterrent to illegal fishing activities suggests John Coleman, Acting Chief of Conservation and Protection for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Gulf Region . “I can’t really speak for the government, but it’s certainly something that we in DFO are exploring and looking to advance the conversation around,” Coleman said of the possible use of cameras for surveillance work. It was during an interview about hefty fines and suspensions to three Nova Scotia tuna fishermen that Coleman referred to surveillance cameras. “Given the tuna fishery, and the nature of catch and release, it is very difficult, unless you have a camera on a vessel, to be successful in a prosecution.” Read the rest here 16:22

Local Authorities Should Help With Fisheries Enforcement

Now, all of this talk about sea bass, scup, and surf clams got me thinking about striped bass, and I cannot remember for the life of me when the last time an article was written in a Cape Cod paper about illegal possession of stripers, both in terms of bag limit or minimum size, by either recreational or commercial anglers. It’s pretty well known that schools of striped bass are regularly encountered on the tuna grounds east of Chatham and on Stellwagen Bank, and there is a vocal group of anglers who believe that the prohibition on fishing,,, Read the rest here 15:47