NR-HQ-01-22E

Dhaliwal reconfirms commitment to enforcement and the protection of fisheries resources

March 21, 2001

OTTAWA -- Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today reconfirmed his commitment to strengthening fisheries enforcement capacity across the country. He also underlined some of the recent measures that have been put in place to protect Canada’s fisheries resources – measures such as maintaining Coast Guard vessel presence in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and new funding to strengthen human resource capacity and invest in new equipment and technologies.

"Fisheries resources are an important source of livelihood and jobs in hundreds of communities along Canada’s coasts," Mr. Dhaliwal said. "The protection of these resources is a top priority for me and my officials. I have listened carefully to all those who have raised concerns about our enforcement capacity and I can assure them that the necessary resources and measures will be in place to effectively protect our fisheries resources.

"To that end, I have decided that the three Coast Guard patrol vessels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which were intended to be pulled from service last year, will remain in service.

I would also like to point out that important investments are currently being made to strengthen our enforcement program as a result of funding we received from last year’s federal budget," Mr. Dhaliwal added. The three vessels are: the Aquariel, based in Cheticamp, Nova Scotia; the Cheverie/Howe Point, based in Prince Edward Island; and the Arcadie, based in Richibucto, New Brunswick.

Enforcement is a priority for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). This commitment resulted in new funding of $41 million, over a three-year period, in last year’s federal budget. Last year, $13 million of that funding was invested in strengthening the program through, among other things, converting seasonal Fishery Officer positions to full-time positions, acquiring new equipment and testing new surveillance technologies.

The conversion of Fishery Officers from seasonal to full-time status has resulted in an increase of Fishery Officer effort equivalent to 67 full-time positions. These officers can now do much of their training and administrative work during the off season, allowing them to spend a larger portion of their time conducting patrols during the fishing seasons.

Besides these increases in human resource capacity, DFO is also investing in new equipment, the testing of technologies and the implementation of new ways of doing business. These include faster patrol vessels, new information and tracking systems and pursuing partnerships with the industry and within fishing communities.

As a result of these measures, and others that have been implemented, there has been a significant increase in the number of fisheries violations detected nationally. Since 1996, the number of violations has increased from nearly 5,500 in 1996 to more than 10,000 in 2000.

"Effective enforcement also needs stronger sanctions and stiffer penalties to more effectively deter poaching and other illegal activities," Mr. Dhaliwal added. "One complaint I have consistently heard from fishermen and their representatives is that the penalties imposed by the courts for fisheries offences are often not sufficiently strong to constitute an effective deterrent to illegal activity. I appreciate these concerns and that is why I have asked my officials to provide me with an analysis of other options, which could include regulatory and legislative changes to allow for administrative sanctions."

The goal is to have in place a streamlined system which would be speedier than the current system involving the courts, and which would result in appropriate penalties that are consistent across regions.

"At the same time, I am encouraging my officials and those whose livelihoods depend on the fisheries to work together more closely to protect these resources. Where such cooperative efforts are in place, the results have been impressive," Mr. Dhaliwal said.

For example, in western PEI, fishermen and DFO Fishery Officers have worked together in recent years to conduct dragging operations to retrieve illegal traps that have been left in the water following the lobster fishing seasons. These cooperative operations have resulted in the seizure of hundred of illegal traps each year.

"While it may take some time before we can properly evaluate the results from these investments and efforts, I believe that the necessary groundwork is in place for significant improvements in the effectiveness of our fisheries enforcement program. I also believe that the flexibility is there to adjust as required in order to ensure that fisheries resources continue to be an important source of livelihood for future generations," Mr. Dhaliwal added.