NR-HQ-00-09E

Dhaliwal announces new funding to strengthen fisheries enforcement

March 24, 2000

HALIFAX -- Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, today announced an investment of $13 million in new funding for the coming fishing season to increase fisheries enforcement capacity on both coasts to help ensure the conservation and protection of fisheries resources.

"Fishery Officers are key to ensuring the responsible management and sustainable use of the fisheries resource," Mr. Dhaliwal said. "This new funding will strengthen our enforcement capacity by increasing our field effort, allowing for greater integration of surveillance and enforcement activities and the adoption of new surveillance technologies."

Part of the new funding will go towards increasing logistical support for surveillance and enforcement operations, additional vessel time and converting a number of seasonal Fishery Officer positions to full-time. This will allow for an increase in enforcement presence and greater flexibility in deploying officers when fisheries are open. It will also allow for these officers to undertake more proactive compliance work with resource users during the off-season when fisheries are closed. Currently, there are 190 seasonal Fishery Officer positions across the country.

The remaining funding will go towards modernizing monitoring, control and surveillance programs through the adoption of new surveillance technologies and integrated information systems and increasing the involvement of the fishing industry in the conservation and protection of fisheries resources.

"This integrated approach will lead to a more effective deployment of patrol vessels and more effective use of at-sea observer data," Mr. Dhaliwal added. "In addition, the funding will permit investment in state-of-the art surveillance technologies as part of a fully integrated and modernized surveillance and enforcement program."

With the decline of some fish stocks and the closure of other fisheries, the need for more effective and strengthened enforcement capacity has become increasingly important to ensure the responsible management of Canada’s fisheries. This new funding was provided for in the February 2000 budget to increase the department’s capacity to ensure the sustainability of marine resources.